Humility
by LizzeXX
Summary: Thor/OC - Athena, a warrior by nature, has found a place with the Asgardians and a complicated friendship with Thor. When Thor is banished to Earth, Athena is assigned to go after him and ensure he does not come to harm in his exile. But when her actions lead to her needing a rescue, what will happen? Will she be able to help save Asgard from Loki? First in the Heroic Hymns.
1. Finding One's Place

A/N: Hey there! :) This is my second Thor series, my first Thor/OC, and is the first in the Heroic Hymns :) So, as fair warning, this will NOT be a Jane/Thor story or a Thor/Sif story either. For any who are interested, I've written some other stories for Doctor Who, Supernatural, Sherlock, Star Trek, Thor (Loki/OC), Merlin, and OUAT. This series will be my attempt to incorporate an original character in. This story will be based around the Thor movie and will be intermingled with some original scenes but should follow the movie, from Thor and the OCs POV :) This story will be about 10 chapters long, updated daily :)

For a reference, I picture the OC, Athena, to look something like Rosamund Pike :)

I hope you enjoy :)

~8~ is a scene break

Disclaimer...I don't own Thor or things from the movie/comic, just my OC and some original aspects...or else we'd have even more Loki to see :)

~8~

Finding One's Place

A young woman stood at the edge of a balcony, overlooking the land beyond, a soft, but sad smile, on her pale lips. There was a gentle breeze blowing past, causing her dark hair to blow into her face though she hardly reached up to brush it away. She was a warrior by nature, firm and unyielding, made of fortitude and dedication, a small bit of hair was hardly a distraction worthy of her moving and disrupting her thoughts. She let out a deep breath, her gray eyes casting downwards at the structures below, the realm before her was exquisite, beautiful, pristine and she adored it. But her home, her family, the life she was living within the walls behind her were slowly wearing at her.

And so she'd made a decision to prostrate herself before her father and plead for the freedom to leave, to just…have the life she was craving. She was so old now, had lived for so many centuries that it was unbearable the life she lived now. It was natural for them, being what the mortals would call gods, to live so long. She was sure the mortals truly thought them immortal, that they would live on to the end of eternity. They tended to live more…thousands of years instead. It was both a blessing and a curse, a blessing as they were all 'immortal' her friends, her family, she would never be lonely. But it was a curse because they had been forced off the earth, to another realm that was left to watch over the mortals from a distance, able to travel via the rainbow bridge that existed between worlds. It was a curse because she was trapped in a life that it seemed a majority of her family had longed for yet she found it agonizing.

It was…calm.

It was peaceful and tranquil there and it was torture! She was used to battle, to fighting giants and titans and monsters that would make most mortals tremble. And now she had been reduced to a simple woman in her simple clothing and jewelry and she would give anything, anything at all to go where there was more activity. She and one of her brothers would spar, daily, for hours on end, and it was the one respite she had in her life, one relief, to be able to pick up a blade and rush at an opponent, even if it was her brother. They fought hard, they struck blows. He was one of the few that hardly cared that she was a woman, he knew her prowess with a blade, her strength, the strategic mind she took with her in battle.

She gazed down at her arms, they were pale but there was a faint bruise near her elbow, it was fading quickly though. She hated this garb she was forced to wear when not sparring. Her arms were bare from the shoulder, save for the bracelets on her one wrist. It felt wrong, all of it, it felt so wrong, to be so exposed. She should have arm guards on, metal plates from her wrist up to her elbows, she should have her leather armor on her front, her skirt should not be down to the ground but to her thighs. This gown she was wearing felt constricting and left her feeling exposed even though her battle garb was more revealing.

She was used to battle, she needed excitement, and this was just…too calm, this wasn't her and she was an inch away from going out of her mind if she was forced to stay there a day longer.

"Care for another spar?" a deep voice came from her side and she looked over to see her brother approaching her. HE got to wear his armor nearly nonstop, the black leather matching his black hair and beard.

"I think I should hardly be allowed to at the moment," she muttered, turning to look back out at the landscape, "I am to be presentable for when father calls me to issue his decision to my request."

He looked at her a long while, "You really asked him to leave?"

She glanced at him again, "You know I had to," she reminded him softly, of all her siblings, he was the one she was closest to, "I cannot stand being here anymore. It's so slow!" she complained, a bitter note to her voice, "It's making me slow too. Our sparing can only go so far, I know all your tricks, I need something new."

"You don't know ALL my tricks," he countered under his breath, though they both knew it was true, she really did. And he did understand, there was only so many times you could fight the same person before growing bored.

"I just…need more excitement than this," she sighed, "You're the only one who spars with me on a regular and I need more than that."

"I know," he turned and leaned on the balcony, looking out at the land with her, the sun starting to set, "I suppose I should tell you, then, that father has called you in for his decision. He sent me to get you. He's in the garden."

She took a deep breath, "Thank you," she smiled at him before turning to head out of the room, needing to make it to the garden quickly, best not to keep her father waiting on this decision. She found him relatively quickly though, he was sitting on the edge of a fountain, looking out at the water swirling within, "Father."

He looked up at her, silent, and merely placed his hand on the marble beside him before he folded his hands in his lap, waiting for her to sit beside him before he spoke, "You must understand your request troubles me greatly."

"I do," she nodded, speaking softly, "But, father, please understand I need something to do besides sit here and play the lyre or weave," she sighed, "My sisters might find that acceptable but not me. You KNOW it is not me."

"I do," he mimicked, smiling softly at her as he eyed her, his gray beard and hair making his eyes brighter, "You are so like your mother," he whispered, thinking of his first wife, "I suppose I have held more tightly to you because of that. You are…the only child she gave me."

He had more by his second wife, but she was the only one his first wife had given him, she was the only thing he had left of her.

"You look so like her," he reached out to touch her face, "You have her gray eyes," he mused, before sighing, "I cannot keep you here if it would make your embittered against me. I could not abide that happening…"

"I would never be that against you father," she reached up to touch his hand on her cheek, before gently taking it down to hold it in her lap, "I just…I'm a fighter, and there is no fight here."

"I know," he gave a soft chuckle, "Do not think I have not seen your brother walking out of the healers quarters after your spars. They are getting progressively harsher, aren't they?" she gave him a sheepish smile and he laughed louder this time, "I suppose it would be best to let you go, somewhere you shall be happy, where you shall have all the fight you desire."

"You mean it?" she asked, "Truly?"

He nodded, "The Rainbow Bridge is open to you to go whenever you please."

"Thank you father!" she leaned in and hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes. She didn't want to leave…but she had to, for her own good, for her own happiness she needed to go where she could find her own way and those like her.

~8~

Loki Odinson stood beside his father as they watched the warriors sparring in the courtyard just outside the palace of Asgard. The Warriors Three had seemed to have made some sort of tournament going, the three of them with Thor, two other men, the Lady Sif, and another woman, a blonde woman in brown leather armor, "Who is she Father?" Loki asked Odin as they watched the goings on.

The Warriors three had all 'fallen' in the tournament, Lady Sif nearly making it to the end bracket however the woman she was fighting, the blonde, had beaten her which left her to face the mighty Thor himself. He could see it in his brother's eyes, the arrogance, the smug quality of his look as he not only eyed the blonde in question, but seemed to be boasting to the men about how easy it would be to best her. His words were clearly irritating both Sif and the woman as well as they stood to the side, their eyes narrowed. Thor had a…peculiar way of encouraging Sif in her battles, he always supported her but he did so with taunting her to victory, enraging her so much that she gave it her all and eventually came out on top. He honestly wasn't sure if Thor was doing the same for this woman or if he genuinely felt he could beat her easily despite the fact she had managed to best Sif herself.

"She is a guest," Odin said, "A warrior come to join our ranks."

"I hope she's warrior enough for Thor, he never goes easy on the new recruits," Loki murmured, "And he goes even less easy since Sif began insisting that the warriors treat she and the other women as equals."

"I have no doubt she shall hold her own," Odin remarked, a small grin on his face, "She is wise beyond her years, something Thor lacks prowess in in the heat of battle. If she cannot best him in strength and skill alone, she shall outwit him easily enough."

Loki frowned at that before he turned to watch the battle commence. He could understand instantly what his father meant by how the woman fought. Thor attacked with brute strength, the woman though seemed to be purposefully on the defensive, saving her strength so that Thor put all his power into the first few attacks. She appeared to be both wearing him out and observing him as well. He could see her gray eyes flickering to Thor's arm and feet and posture for the barest moment every time he moved to attack. He noticed she was doing other moves, moving one way to strike, then a few moments later making the same move as though to test how he'd react.

He started to smirk as the small duel went on as it became more and more obvious to him that she was learning how Thor operated, how he'd been trained, the way he'd fight her, and he felt the anticipation building at what the outcome would be when she turned his own tactics against him…

The end came rather quickly though, he was almost let down by it had, or would have been had it not been for the fact that his beloved brother had ended up on his backside with a sword aimed at his neck, the tip just under his chin, the blonde woman smirking down at him. It had happened so fast that he almost missed it, to be honest. She had gone to strike him with her right hand above Thor's head and the man had instantly raised his right arm to block, and shoved her arm to the left, something she'd seen him do at least twice before in that very same motion. Just as he was turning back to recover from the move, she grabbed his sword arm with her left hand to keep him lifting it again and turned her blade in her right hand so that her fist was gripping the hilt with the blade extended along her arm and punched him across the face with both fist and steel, sending him to the ground…apparently she had anticipated his skull would be quite thick and had compensated by using the hilt of her blade against him as well as the force of her punch. He'd fallen as she twisted his right hand, the move of falling and the way she twisted it made his own momentum cause him to release his blade which she quickly ducked to grab before stepping towards him to place her own blade at his neck.

The cheers that went up for Thor's defeat had even Odin cracking a small smile at the sight of his son even slightly humbled. The woman in question remained stone faced at her victory, a mask of a warrior's focus and determination etched on her face…before a smirk took hold of it and she flipped Thor's sword in her hand, catching the blade and extending his sword back to him. He took it and she kept her left hand out to help him up before she turned and sauntered back to Sif as the woman congratulated her.

Thor, however, despite being clapped on the back by the other warriors, more in amusement for his defeat than in a move of victory, kept his eyes on her, before he found himself walking towards her, "You, girl…"

"I am not a girl," the woman gave him an unimpressed look, "I am a woman," she glanced up and down at him, "Boy."

His eyes narrowed, all sense of being polite and commending her fleeing at her jab against him, "I assure you, I am most certainly a man."

"And yet you were the one on your back," she taunted, nearly startling him with her audacity, nearly, but…he could tell something in her, that she was used to talk like that, the crude talk that came with warriors…and he could respect a lady such as that.

"Well then allow me the chance to prove it to you," he challenged.

"Whenever you wish," she lifted her chin, accepting the challenge.

He smirked at that, holding out his arm to her, "I am Thor, Odinson."

She felt her own lips quirk into a smirk as well, having the feeling that their next challenge wouldn't be the last one, before she grasped his arm in a firm grip, "Athena."

~8~

"Do we HAVE to be here Sif?" Athena nearly groaned as she and the Lady Sif walked through the halls of the palace of Asgard.

It was a lovely building, quite magnificent to be seen. It was gleaming and bright, spacious and regal, a true testament to the might of those who dwelled within. The doors and windows were enormous, allowing light to filter in from the sun, the entire landscape beyond wonderful in its metal and shine. And it had become a home to her as well ever since she had become one of the warriors of Asgard. Sif liked to call the two of them the Valkyries, the female warriors, however she only truly did that in private with the two of them. They were the closest of all the female warriors…not that there were many, but they had bonded quite a lot in the time she had been there, ever since she had gotten Thor on his bum during her first spar with him.

She didn't understand why people thought it was so hard to face Thor down, he honestly wasn't that hard to defeat, no one was, if one only paid attention. People were trained in different ways but their reactions, from years of training, were often the same when certain blows were dealt. All it took with her was to test those skills and reactions, to find the best method of blocking and attacking back once she worked out what they were. So much could be learned about watching how a person moved to allow one to guess the way they'd react. Thor had seemed to learn that though and their spars since that day had gotten rather…interesting. He had actually started to change his reactions and the styles of combat he used to try and throw her off. He knew quite a few and, while she would never say it out loud, she was thrilled when it happened. She enjoyed the challenge of sparring with Thor as much as he seemed to enjoy the challenge she offered as well. She had learned more about the power behind certain attacks if force was applied correctly, he'd learned to observe the enemy for a means to attack, and…they were actually helping each other improve.

But that didn't mean that his arrogance diminished any when he lost to her, he would just issue another challenge as would she. He seemed to take each defeat as a means and opportunity to get better, which it should be, but the way he went about it, so cocky at first was offputting. She didn't like a few things about his personality, like how childish he could be, how petulant, and arrogant too. It was just as well, she was sure he found her strategicness in all areas of her life irritating, along with her chastising nature and near exasperation when it came to him and his ways. It seemed the way she was in facing off with him in duels was the same as when they were off the field of combat, neither of them backed down, both were born warriors.

"It is Thor's coronation day," Sif reminded her with a small smirk, "We must."

It was…the most amusing thing in the world to her and the Warriors Three, to see how Athena and Thor interacted. They were like cats and dogs at times, but there was never any true bite to them. It stemmed more from Thor being an arrogant child at times and Athena becoming irritated with how he acted. She'd asked once, why she was like that, why his attitude bothered her so much. All she had to say was that she had spent her life around pompous siblings and that her own father was quite arrogant in some ways, or he had been, that his lack of consideration for consequences and his desire to do as he wished had caused many problems in the past. She was wise enough to see how attitudes and personalities like that could lead to ruin and she had come to see the palace as a home she did not wish to see fall.

They were all quite sure that it was more that both Athena and Thor were attracted to the other but were at an impasse in that they both had qualities that the other disliked so much it was holding them back, or that they just didn't want to be as attracted to the other as they were so they tried to find irritation in the other. She, for a short while, felt as though she should have been cross with Athena, for so easily winning Thor's attention. The man was fixated on her the moment she entered a room, took delight in antagonizing her, always asked HER to spar first whenever he could. She had felt that she should be angry and bitter because, for quite a long while, she had had an attachment to Thor, she had desired to have a relationship with him, so much so that she had, at first, defended Thor's attitude to her. But the more she was around Athena, the more she did see Thor had faults, as every man did, and that those faults were better suited to Athena's own than hers. The two were a better match than she or Thor could hope to be and she had endeavored to help her friend, for Athena had certainly become a very close one in her time there, be happy with Thor. She had long since moved past her own fixation on Thor and felt more confident and sure of herself for doing so.

"Has Odin lost sight in his other eye?" Athena shook her head, "Can he truly not see that Thor is still such a child? He wishes wholly to put a child on the throne of Asgard?"

"He's not a child Athena," Sif laughed, "He's a full grown man."

And, just as they said that, passing a small antechamber to get around the large throne room where the coronation would take place and reach their spots, they passed Thor as he smashed a goblet of mead into a fire, sending the flames roaring higher, with a cry of 'Another!' before he headed over to stand by his brother Loki.

Athena gave Sif a look, "You were saying?" she gestured at the man. Honestly, smashing goblets, demanding drink, he was as arrogant and pompous as he had been since the day she met him.

Sif could only shrug at that.

~8~

Sif and Athena stood to the side of a small room, another antechamber, one that would led to the back of the palace throne room, nearer to the thrones than where Thor would enter from. They were removing their weapons as no one was allowed to have a weapon in the throne room during the ceremony save Odin and his two sons.

"Volstagg," Sif murmured under her breath, glancing up at the man who was off in the room behind Athena.

Athena smirked, "Combing his beard," she supplied, "Probably finding some kind of meat hidden in it."

"Close," Sif chuckled, "A grape."

It was a game they had come to play, Sif never got used to how truly observant Athena was. She observed and studied her opponents, trying to find their weakness, but it also seemed to work off the field of combat as well. She could guess, from what she knew of the people around her, what they were likely doing based on their personality and habits she'd gleamed in them. Athena was one of the most focused warriors she had ever encountered, something she appreciated as she liked to think she was just as dedicated and focused. Truly the only time she had ever seen Athena break her concentration, the only time she'd ever seen Athena flee anything or become frightened, was when spiders were involved. The woman would go pale and back away and scream…one time when Fandral had played a rather cruel joke on her in putting a spider on her sword when she went to grab it, she had literally jumped into Thor's arms at the sight of it. She didn't understand how a woman as strong as Athena could be frightened by a little arachnid but to each their own, she had her own fears to deal with as well and, so long as they weren't facing an army of spiders, they all doubted Athena's fear would cause her any distraction in battle.

"And what of Fandral?" Sif continued, grimacing slightly as she watched Volstagg, a rather plump man with a thick red beard, eat the grape he'd found in his hair.

"Playing Narcissus," Athena mused.

"What?" Sif shook her head, sometimes Athena made comments and remarks that they weren't quite sure what she was talking about.

"Flirting with himself in a mirror," Athena elaborated, "…before flirting with the next woman who walks past him."

"Got that in one," Sif nodded, seeing that happen, the blond man with his well groomed moustache grinning at himself in the mirror and winking at the woman holding it up to him, though there were a few more women around him than just one, "And Hogun?" her gaze drifted to the rather severe and stone-faced man, his black hair held back tight.

"Brooding."

Sif smirked at that, Hogun was quite intimidating, very much a no-nonsense sort of man.

"And," Athena grinned, setting down a sword on the table, "I believe I win again."

Sif looked down at the weapons they'd been discarding and placing carefully on the table, "No," she started to smile, setting one of her own blades down, "I believe we're at a draw, for once."

It was another game they had, where they would try to see who had more weapons, who could conceal more of them. But Athena just smirked, "Oh are we?"

"Oh no don't…" Sif nearly pleaded. But Athena reached up to her hair that was held half up half down, with a small bun on the top portion, and pulled what appeared to be a small stick out of it, setting it down on the table, one last, fine, delicate dagger, "You are no fun."

"Come," Athena laughed, taking Sif's arm and leading her into the throne room, the Warriors Three, Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg following them as they took their places along the throne's stairs to wait for the entrance of Thor.

The room was already filled with all the Asgardians that had come to witness the coronation of their new king, the room entirely crowded with only a single aisle down the middle for Thor to walk down.

"I hope this goes quickly," Volstagg muttered under his breath, "I'm famished."

"No!" Fandral turned to him, mock-shocked at that, heavy in his sarcasm.

"Are you attached to that pretty face of yours?" Volstagg glared, "Because one more word, and you won't be."

"My, we are hungry, aren't we?" he joked, before sighing at Hogun, "Go on, Hogun. Smile. You can do it. Even you, Hogun the Grim. Just one smile?" but Hogun remained staring at him grimly, "Alright, half a smile. Look, forget the smile, just show some teeth."

"Fandral, I wonder if you are brave enough to accept a challenge?" Athena rolled her eyes to him, he was, at times, even more irritating than Thor in his pompous nature.

"Name it, Lady Athena."

Sif smirked and issued it for her, "Keep your mouth shut."

Fandral narrowed his eyes at them as they just smiled at him and turned back to the crowd as Odin's wife, Frigga, entered, escorted by Thor's brother, Loki, the two taking their places near the top of the stairs, closest to the throne.

There was a blast of a horn and everyone fell silent as the guards entered, walking in formation down the aisle towards the throne, up the stairs before they broke away to reveal Odin himself as the man turned and took his seat upon the throne, his weapon, a staff, Gungnir in his hand. Frigga smiled and moved to join him at his side, standing beside the throne with one hand resting upon it. Odin lifted his head and turned to the Warriors Three, then to Sif and Athena, before his frown grew more pronounced as he turned to Loki who shrugged as the man was clearly seeking where his other son was.

"Where is he?" Volstagg hissed to Loki under his breath.

"He said he'd be along," Loki answered back just as quietly.

"Of all the pompous…" Athena started to mutter, but Sif grabbed her arm to quiet her.

"What?" Volstagg looked at them.

Sif sighed, realizing what Athena had, "He wants to make an entrance."

"Well, if he doesn't show up soon, he shouldn't bother," Fandral remarked dryly, "Odin looks like he's ready to feed him to his ravens."

"I wouldn't worry," Loki shook his head, "Father will forgive him. He always does."

Just as he finished speaking a round of cheers went up in the hall and they turned to see Thor enter, Mjolnir, his hammer, held high above him in one hand, a wide, cocky grin on his face as he strode forward, moving slowly, trying to work the crowd up more, clearly basking in the cheers and adoration of his people.

"Oh, please," Sif muttered.

"You were saying before Sif?" Athena gave her a look.

Odin too seemed rather irritated with what his son was doing, shaking his head slightly at Thor as the man reached the base of the steps to the throne and knelt down on a knee, placing Mjolnir beside him. He looked to his mother as she gave him a slightly chastising look but smiled as he winked at her. He turned to his brother, his grin widening as Loki appeared amused. Before his gaze drifted to Athena, making him lift his eyebrows at her with a smirk, though she rolled her eyes at him and shook her head, turning her head pointedly to look to Odin as Thor did the same.

Odin struck Gungnir on the ground, silencing the crowd with the deafening boom the staff made as he stood, "Gungnir," he held it up before him, "Its aim is true, its power strong. With it I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms since the time of the Great Beginning," he slowly lowered it to the ground again, "And though the day has come for a new King to wield his own weapon," he nodded to the hammer, "That duty remains the same. Thor Odinson, my heir, my first-born. So long entrusted with this mighty hammer, Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, from the sacred metal of Uru. Only one may lift it, only one is worthy. Who wields this hammer commands the lightning and the storm. Its power has no equal, as a weapon, to destroy, or as a tool, to build. It is a fit companion for a King," he smiled at his son, "Today I entrust you with the greatest honor in all the Nine Realms. The sacred throne of Asgard. I have sacrificed much to achieve peace. So, too, must a new generation sacrifice to maintain that peace. Responsibility, duty, honor. These are not merely virtues to which we must aspire. They are essential to every soldier and to every King."

Athena frowned, looking around as she felt a chill creep into the hall, seeing a few people shifting as the drop in temperature was felt by them as well.

"Thor Odinson," Odin continued, pulling her attention back, though the feeling that something was wrong did not disappear, "Do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?"

"I swear," Thor spoke, pledging his oath.

"Do you swear to preserve the peace?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself only to the good of all the Realms?"

"I swear."

Athena bit the inside of her cheek for that one, the Thor before her was half made of selfish ambition at times.

"Then on this day," Odin smiled, "I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you…" he trailed off suddenly, looking across the room as though seeing something beyond it, sensing something, and as they turned to look, they could see it as well, ice creeping into the room along the banners on the wall…and there was only one thing that could make such a thing occur, "Frost Giants."

That was all Odin need say before Thor, Loki, the Warriors Three, Sif and Athena were racing from the hall to get their weapons and stop the enemy for if there were one enemy of Asgard that needed to be stopped immediately…it was the Frost Giants.

And now they had breached the walls.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter :) I can say that we'll really see Thor and Athena's relationship come together in this story.


	2. The Arrogance of a Prince

The Arrogance of a Prince

Thor and Athena were the first to reach the Vault of Asgard, where some of the most valuable and terrible treasures and weapons were kept safe from the wants of others. But it was a wreck within. By the time the Warriors Three, Sif, and Loki arrived, they ould see why the two had stopped short and not entered the room. There were guards on the ground, their own guards, dead, and the bodies of three Frost Giants obliterated around. The Destroyer, a suit of armor twice the size of a normal man with no face save a red shield in place had just turned and set the Casket, a glowing white cube, back on the pedestal it belonged on before moving to its resting place, a small area in the back of the Vault, a lattice forming before it.

As they watched the lattice work come together to hide the Destroyer, Odin stepped in behind them and looked around at the damage, more so at their fallen guards than anything else, a heavy sorrow falling over him at the sight of their slain bodies.

"The Jotuns must pay for what they've done!" Thor nearly growled as he too took in the sight of their fallen men.

"And what good would that do besides set off a wereguild?" Athena questioned him logically. That was the LAST thing that they would need right now was a wereguild coming into play. It was utterly barbaric, to her, the notion of blood for blood. One side attacked, the next sought retribution, but it hardly ever stopped as one side would feel more slighted or that the response took more than the first attack did and it would just lead to pointless bloodshed.

She had notice, though she doubted Thor had, that Odin seemed more weary as of late, more tired, more slow, more strained. It had been one reason the coronation was meant to happen, not because he thought Thor ready to take the crown but because he was actively trying to keep himself going long enough and had reached an end. She had heard of the Odinsleep, a meditative trance-like sleep Odin would fall into to recover his strength. With times as they were Odin was pushing it back through sheer force of will and that would mean the sleep would last longer, how long no one would know. Asgard would need a king on the throne and so the coronation was meant to take place.

Bloodshed and war was NOT what Odin needed at the moment.

"They have paid with their lives," Odin agreed, "The Destroyer did its job, and the Casket is safe. All is well."

"All is well?!" Thor scoffed, "They broke into the Weapons Vault! If the Frost Giants had stolen even one of these relics…"

"But they didn't," Odin cut in with a sigh.

"I want to know why they…"

"The Casket of Ancient Winters belonged to the Jotuns. They believe it's their birthright."

"And if you hadn't taken it from them they would have laid waste to all the Nine Realms!"

"I have a truce with Laufey, the Jotun King."

"He just broke your truce! We must act!"

Athena was silent as she watched Odin close his eye, seeming to realize what she had, that at that moment, despite his prior plans, he could NOT allow Thor to take the throne. The moment the man had the power in him, he'd launch an all out war on Jotunheim and no one would be able to stop him as king, not even Odin, especially not as weak as he was. And that meant one thing, refusing Thor the throne till AFTER his Odinsleep had occurred. At least then, even if the throne fell to Thor as regent in his absence, people could still cry out against his plans and halt them.

Odin turned his gaze at the others in the room, Loki and Thor behind him, "Leave us," he commanded and the Warriors Three, Sif, and Athena gave a short bow, their hands in a fist hitting their shoulder in respect before they turned, "Not you, Athena," he called as she moved to go, "You are to stay."

Athena turned and nodded, moving her hands behind her back as she stood straight and attentive. It wasn't quite so uncommon to the others for this to happen either. Athena had proven quite early on to be an exceptional strategist, a cautious commander, and a wise woman, she often stepped in in an advising capacity, offering her opinion and counsel when needed. There had been a time or two when she had even been able to argue Thor into acceptance of some decisions, not all, but some. And it appeared this would be a situation such as that.

Odin waited till the Warriors Three and Sif left, the doors closing behind them, before he turned to his eldest son, "And what action would you take?"

"March into Jotunheim as you once did," Thor held his head up high, "Teach them a lesson, break their spirits so they'll never dare try to cross our borders again!"

"That is not how you should be seen by your people," Athena remarked, "Tis better to be loved than feared."

"You're thinking only as a warrior," Odin agreed.

"This was an act of war!" Thor declared, spinning to Athena, "Surely even YOU could agree to this."

"War would imply a decided attack," Athena shook her head, "An open and violent struggle. This is merely an attempt at theft. They struck to quickly, to precisely, as to try and incite a battle or spark a war."

"It was the act of but a few, doomed to fail," Odin nodded, offering Athena a small smile for seeing what he had. He had…taken her under his wing, so to speak. The woman was remarkably wise in her own right, but he had been gifted with wisdom upon the loss of his eye and he had begun to mentor her not just in the wisdom that came with life, but what it took to lead a people as well.

"They got this far!" Thor gestured around.

"We will find the breach in our defenses. It will be found, and it will be sealed."

"As King of Asgard, I would…"

"You are not King!" Odin shouted, before calming himself as he gripped Gungnir tightly, nearly seeming to lean on it, before he spoke quieter, "Not yet."

Thor shot his father a glare before turning and storming out of the Vault, slamming the doors behind him so hard that even Athena flinched at the sound. She turned her sights on Odin, seeing the man with his eye closed, rubbing his forehead, and waited.

"Go after him," Odin nodded, knowing that was something she wanted to do. No matter how heated the verbal sparring between Athena and Thor got, no matter how violent the actual spars were, there was a…connection between the two. Neither cold stand seeing the other upset or bear to have the other angry for too long. There was a concern that radiated between the two and they both always managed to find the other when they seemed to need it most.

Athena gave him a deep nod before she turned and headed out, needing to find Thor before he did something foolish.

~8~

Thor stood in the middle of the banquet hall that had been prepared to host the festivities from after his coronation, stalking through it with a glare on his face. He turned suddenly to one of the long tables, anger and frustration visible on his face as he reached out and lifted it up, overturning the table, not even caring about the food and decoration he was sending toppling to the ground. He glared at the table as though it had done him a great injustice before he moved to a set of steps that ran along the side of the room by the balconies that overlooked the realm and sat with a huff.

"How did I know that I'd walk in here and find the tables overturned?" a voice asked from across the room.

Thor looked up from where he'd sat, glowering at the blonde woman in brown armor leaning against a pillar, her arms crossed, smirking at him, fueling his anger, "I am not in the mood Athena."

She rolled her eyes, "I can see now that it was a blessing your coronation was interrupted."

"How dare…" he stood up.

But she held up a hand, making him stop, before she gestured at the fallen table, "You just threw the temper tantrum of a child, Thor. I'd rather a man than a boy sit upon the throne of Asgard."

"And I'd rather a woman than a harpy try to comfort me now," he shot back at her.

She nearly snorted, rolling her eyes as she pushed off the pillar and made her way over to him, "I'm hardly a harpy. Foul creatures they are. Don't look a thing like them."

He gave her an unamused look for that remark, "What do you want Athena?"

"I want you to realize what it means to be a ruler," she told him, coming to stand before him, "It means pushing aside your anger and seeing what lies before you."

"What, you?" he nearly sneered. Nearly, it came out far too softly for it to have any affect, it seemed nearly…desperate, hopeful, and confused all at the same time.

"If you take my words of advice, then yes," she nodded, "Thor…" she sighed, crouching before him, her arms crossed and resting on her knee as she looked into his eyes, "When you are king, you cannot react as you would like. You wish to ride into the storm and face down enemies, but you cannot. To do that would mean truly launching a war on the Jotuns, and your people will get caught in the crossfire."

"But THEY were the ones who broke the treaty!"

"But who commanded it?" Athena countered, "If it was Laufey, then yes, they did. But if it was not Thor? What then? If this was a renegade band, would you really approach a king and demand restitution for something he might have no knowledge of? Would you really claim HE broke the treaty then?"

"You make large assumptions in this," he warned.

"I must, or else you'd not listen," she smiled, making him start to smile as well, able to see the anger slowly drifting out of him as she broke this up logically for him, "You would need proof that Laufey knew and ordered this to happen or else it is not the Jotuns declaring war but YOU," she tilted her head, "Do you truly wish your first act as king to be a war?"

He let out a long breath, "No."

"If it's any consolation," a different voice spoke and they looked up to see Loki step out from behind a pillar, having been listening to them, "I think you're right," he moved beside Thor and sat down, "About the Frost Giants, about Laufey, everything. If a few of them could penetrate the defenses of Asgard once, who's to say they won't try again. Next time with an army?"

Athena frowned at Loki, she knew enough of the power of words to know when someone was trying to use them against someone, she knew of Loki's supposed 'silver tongue' and she could see, from how Thor had straightened and perked up at that, that he was starting to side back with Loki.

"Yes, exactly!" Thor exclaimed.

"Then we should have to wait," she cut in, sending a hard look to Loki, "For LAUFEY to attack with his army first then. Only then would a war be justified."

Loki nodded, seeming to agree with her, though his next words left a large doubt of that in her mind, "There's nothing we can do without defying Father."

It was clear to both her and Loki what that phrase would do to Thor and it seemed confirmed when Thor got a very familiar gleam in his eyes.

"Thor, no," Athena shook her head, knowing what he was thinking of doing now. Almost able to guess the argument he'd make against her reasonings from Loki's words.

"Why not?" Thor grinned, "As you reminded me, Athena, I am not the king, this will not be my first act as it. And we are not doing this under the king's command but as renegades ourselves, we are not truly breaking the treaty. It's the only way to ensure the safety of our borders."

"That is not what I meant and you know it," she frowned, unable to come up with a counter to that. She hated that, in all their time together he'd actually learned to pick up debating and using her own words against her.

"What do you mean, we?" was what Loki picked up on but Thor gave them both a pointed look that spoke of just who the WE was going to be, "It's madness!"

"Madness?" Volstagg called as he and the Warriors Three walked in along with Sif, "What sort of madness?"

"Nothing! Thor was making a jest!"

"He had better be," Athena glared at Thor, though she knew that Loki was baiting him for some reason, to say that Thor was not serious about something was as good as challenging him to prove it.

"The safety of our Realm is no jest," Thor defended, before grinning at the others, "We're going to Jotunheim."

"What?!" Fandral gaped.

"Thor, of all the laws of Asgard, this is one you must not break," Sif shook her head.

"This isn't like a journey to Earth, where you summon a little lightning and thunder and the mortals worship you as a god. This is _Jotunheim_!"

"And if the Frost Giants don't kill you, your Father will!" Volstagg agreed.

"And if you ARE killed do you know what that would do?" Athena added.

"Loki would take the throne," Thor said easily, as though it were just like him handing his brother a letter or something.

"I meant to your mother!" Athena snapped, "Have you any idea what your death would do to her?!"

Thor seemed to still at that, "She would mourn me as a hero," he decided, though there was a regretful note in his voice. But this was a culture of singing songs and hymns about heroes, he would do his mother honor to die like one.

"And curse you as a fool," Athena warned.

"My father fought his way into Jotunheim, defeated their armies, and took their Casket!" Thor shook his head, "We'd just be looking for answers."

"It is forbidden!" Sif frowned.

Thor seemed to nearly consider relenting and giving up…when he caught sight of Athena, glaring at him, and started to grin a grin she knew was not a good grin, it was the grin he wore when he was planning to take a leaf out of her book and use what he knew about others against them to get what he wanted.

"My friends," he smiled and laughed with them, "Have you forgotten all that we've done together?" he looked at Fandral, "Who brought you into the sweet embrace of the most exotic maidens in all of Yggdrasil?"

Fandral nodded slowly at that, remembering those maidens, "You did."

"Who led you into the most glorious of battles..." he turned to Hogun, and then to Volstagg, "And to delicacies so succulent, you thought you'd died and gone to Valhalla?"

"You did," both men stated.

Thor patted Volstagg on the shoulder and turned to Sif, "And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this Realm has ever known?"

"I did," Sif countered.

"True, but I supported you Sif," and then his grin landed on Athena, "And who provided you with the most challenging, dangerous, and worthwhile quest in all the realms?"

"No one," Athena gave him an unimpressed look.

"Yet," he added quickly, "So give me the chance to do just that," he winked at her and turned to them all, "My friends, trust me now. We must do this. Come on. You're not going to let my brother and me take all the glory, are you?"

"What?" Loki seemed a bit shocked at that, perhaps because Thor hadn't included him in his rounds, perhaps he just hadn't wanted or thought to go himself, either one Athena couldn't be sure of.

"You are coming with me," Thor patted Loki on the shoulder.

"Yes," Loki recovered quickly, "Of course! I won't let my brother march into Jotunheim alone. I will be at his side."

"And I," Volstagg sighed.

"And I," Fandral added reluctantly.

"And I," Hogun nodded, "The Warriors Three fight together."

"I fear we'll live to regret this," Sif sighed.

"If fortune smiles upon us," Athena muttered, "And I," though the look she sent Thor, despite his wide grin, was one that clearly said she was only going to keep him from starting the war she'd spoken of.

~8~

They took horses to the entrance to the Bifrost, raced down the rainbow bridges towards the observatory-like structure at the end where a dark-skinned man in gold armor was standing, his hands braced on the hilt of his sword, the point resting on the bridge, Heimdall, the gatekeeper in all his fearsome glory.

"Keep your weapons sheathed and your mouths closed," Loki warned as they dismounted, "This is going to take subtlety and sincerity…"

"Are you certain it should be YOU to speak then Loki?" Athena countered, not bitingly but more stating a fact as he lacked one of the two greatly.

"Not brute strength," Loki continued, ignoring her, "Leave it to me," he sent her a pointed look, before turning to address Heimdall, "Good Heimdall…"

"You're not dressed warmly enough," Heimdall cut in.

"I'm sorry?"

"The freezing cold of Jotunheim. It will kill you all in time, even Thor. You think you can deceive me?" he eyed them, "I, who watch all?"

"We had hoped," Athena nodded, "Even Argus had to close all his eyes at one point."

"Enough," Thor stepped forward, "Heimdall, may we pass?"

Heimdall just stared him down a long while before speaking, "For ages have I guarded Asgard and kept it safe from those who would do it harm. In all that time, never has an enemy slipped by my watch…until this day. I wish to know how that happened."

"Then tell no one where we've gone until we've returned," he stepped past Heimdall, the man turning to allow the others to pass with Thor and enter the entrance to the Bifrost.

Heimdall stepped onto a platform in the center of the room that had the controlling apparatus set up, placing his hands on it as he addressed the small band of warriors, "Be warned. I will honor my sworn oath to protect this Realm as its Gatekeeper. If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, the Bifrost will remain closed to you. You'll be left to die in the cold wastes of Jotunheim."

"I have no plans to die today," Thor shook his head.

"Does anyone ever plan to die?" Athena countered harshly. This was not a good plan, this was not a wise move, not at all.

Unlike the Jotuns that had come for the Casket, they were not entering with the same intent. The Jotuns had clearly come only to steal the Casket, not to incite a war or kill every single Asgardian. Thor, however, was entering Jotunheim, she knew, with the secret hope for a battle, for war.

Heimdall glanced at Athena for her words before he lifted his sword and placed it into the control, starting up the entrance and shifting the open doorway before them in the direction of Jotunheim. A wind picked up as the energy gathered in the doorway, creating a vortex as the energy swept out and connected with the Jotun world, "All is ready. You may pass."

"Couldn't you just leave the bridge open for us?" Volstagg looked at Heimdall.

"To keep this bridge open would unleash the full power of the Bifrost and destroy Jotunheim with you upon it."

"Ah. Never mind, then…"

Thor stepped right up to the vortex's entrance and stepped through it without a backwards glance, forcing all of them to follow, sucked into the vortex and shot out of the entrance, down the energy, and right to the Jotun homeworld.

~8~

A rift opened in the Jotun sky and a beam of brilliant light shot down, striking the ground. A moment later the light disappeared and a small band of warriors were left standing in the runes made by the Bifrost's entrance. They stood there a moment, stunned at the sight, none of them having ever been to Jotunheim before. It was like a wasteland, a frozen deserted area. There were ruins around, mountains and jagged rocks, some debris, some wooden pieces and metal left over from war after war.

Thor cast a look back to his comrades before he started to walk off through the frozen tundra before them, heading for the ruins they could just make out in the distance through the lightly falling snow. The wind howled around them, sending biting, frigid breezes after them, Heimdall was right, none of them were dressed for such weather, though Thor seemed to be running on adrenaline and less affected.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Thor grinned, Mjolnir clenching in his fists with anticipation, "To be together again, adventuring on another world?"

"Adventuring?" Fandral scoffed, "Is that what we're doing?"

"What would you call it?"

"Freezing."

"Starving," Volstagg added.

"Whining," Sif supplied, earning a smile from Thor.

"Treason," Athena hissed, and the smiles soon fell from their faces, "I hope you all realize that THAT is what we are doing. We are committing treason by being here and disobeying the Allfather's treaty."

If any of the warriors were about to counter or agree or question what she said, they had little time to do it as they had reached the ruins, what appeared to be an ancient city now fallen to noting but jagged pieces, crumbling and torn apart. But what they all noticed was that there were clear signs of life and habitation within the ruins…the Jotuns WERE there…but they couldn't be seen.

"Where are they?" Sif shifted, her hand tightening on her sword.

"Hiding," Thor spat, "As cowards always do."

"A wise king would not call his enemies cowards where they can hear," Athena muttered, "Hardly diplomatic."

"We're not here to be diplomatic," Thor reminded her, "We're here for answers."

"What is your business here, Asgardian?" a deep, rumbling voice called out suddenly, sounding very much like ice when it cracked, but coming from somewhere in the shadows around them.

"I speak only to your King," Thor replied, "Not to his foot soldiers."

"Then speak," the same voice demanded and they looked over to see an eerie blue light start to shine in the shadows to their side, a large humanoid man, with blue skin and red eyes, larger than a normal person, sitting on a throne of ice, "I am Laufey, King of this Realm."

"And I am…"

"We know who you are, Odinson. Why have you brought the stench of your blood into my world?"

"I demand answers," Thor straightened as Laufey stood, eyeing him.

"You 'demand?'"

"How did your people get into Asgard?"

"The house of Odin is full of traitors," Laufey spat, making everyone behind Thor glance at each other in concern.

"Do not dishonor my father's name with your lies!" Thor glared.

"Your father is a murderer and a thief. He stole what was ours, and left our world in ruins. We have the right to reclaim the Casket."

"Not when you'd use it to make war against other Realms."

Athena closed her eyes, and what, exactly, did THOR think he was doing by them BEING there? They were as good as declaring war against the Frost Giants and it was over the Casket as well.

Laufey let out a deep, cold laugh at that, "And why have you come here? To make peace? You long for battle. You crave it. I see you for what you are, Thor Odinson. Nothing but a boy, trying to prove himself a man."

Athena saw Thor stiffen at that and knew exactly why, her own words were coming back to him, about rather a man than a child be on the throne. And this was so much worse. Where her words were meant to point out a flaw…Laufey's were taunting, and Thor dealt with taunts very, VERY badly.

"This boy has grown tired of your mockery!" Thor stepped forward, lifting Mjolnir to point at the giant, drawing all the other Frost Giants out at the action, the giants moving to defend their king.

"Thor," Athena hissed at him.

But Loki beat her to it, moving to his side to speak quietly to him, "Thor, stop and think. Look around you. We are outnumbered."

"Know your place, brother," Thor nearly spat.

"You should listen to his counsel," Laufey smirked, "You know not what your actions would unleash. But I do. Go now, while I still allow it."

Loki looked at Thor, but the man just glared at Laufey, so he spoke for him, "We will accept your most gracious offer."

Thor gave Loki a withering look before turning to the others, seeing them imploring him to agree, to back off. He spared a glance at Athena and saw not imploring…but disappointment. And that was what did it, Athena had a very unique 'disappointed' face, one that was like a combination of both Odin and Frigga's, it always made him imagine the faces of his parents with that expression on her face. He glared back at Laufey a moment before he turned, without a word, to stalk off, the warriors falling into place behind him.

"Run back home, little princess," they heard one of the Giants hiss at them as they passed.

And Thor stopped dead.

Loki closed his eyes, all of them knowing what was coming next, but only he voiced their reaction to it, "Damn."

Before anyone could even blink, Thor turned and swung Mjolnir at the Frost Giant that spoke, sending him flying across the courtyard area…and launching them all into an all out battle as the Giants swarmed them. They grabbed their weapons, trying to keep close to each other, trying to keep each other protected…but the Giants were too strong.

It was complete and utter chaos within moments. The Jotuns formed a frozen armor around them, created blades and other weapons on their arms from the ice as they attacked. Everyone ended up on their own in minutes, trying their best to just survive each blow dealt to them.

Thor was, of course, enjoying every attack, taking out giants left and right with his hammer, but the others struggled. Athena lost sight of nearly all of them as she fought with her sword, trying to keep the Jotuns from landing a swing at her, really only Loki in her line of sight. She tried, to look for the others, but there were too many Jotuns and they were too far apart. She could hear their grunts of battle, their cheers as they succeeded in dealing with giant after giant, Thor's were especially loud. There was some sort of shout from Volstagg about not letting the Jotuns touch the skin but she was too focused on dealing with the giants around her to look over and see why he'd called that out.

It wasn't till Fandral gave a scream of pain that she managed a glance, only to see Loki trying to rush over, closer to the man than she was, but get detained by two Frost Giants. She let out a grunt and attacked the one before her furiously till it had fallen and turned to go help Loki…only to stop short in horror at what she was seeing.

He was standing there, looking at his skin…his BLUE skin, skin the exact shade of a Frost Giant's. He hadn't noticed her, was too focused on his hand and watching how the skin was turning back to pink to see her. But she had seen it.

And then Thor's shouts and cheers and jeers reached her, pulling her back into the battle at hand. She spared Loki one more glance before she spotted what had made him run off in the first place, Fandral had been hurt, impaled by ice and Volstagg had just freed him. She ran after them, moving to help Loki and Volstagg get Fandral back, Sif joining her a moment later. But by all of them joining together, they made a target for a handful of Frost Giants.

Athena looked around, needing something, and spotted what looked like a dry piece of wood, what was left of a torch! She grabbed it, kneeling down and pulling flint stones from a pouch she wore, stones that all the others had as well, and struck at them, creating a fire at the end of it. She stood and turned, waving it at the giants that actually shied away from it.

"Volstagg!" she held a hand back, "Your wine!"

"What?!" Volstagg cried.

"NOW!"

He quickly tossed it to her and she uncorked the end, taking a mouthful of it before spraying it through the fire, creating a burst of flames at the Jotuns, forcing them back even more.

"Thor, we must go!" Loki shouted to Thor, who was still fighting away and not seeming about to stop any time soon, not even seeming tired.

"Then go!" Thor waved them off.

"There are too many of them!" Sif tried.

"I can stop them!" Thor claimed arrogantly.

"And THEY can stop YOU!" Athena warned.

"Thor!" Sif shouted as even more giants went after them.

But Thor just ignored them, fighting on.

"Run," Volstagg turned to them, Sif grabbing Athena's arm as Hogun and Volstagg helped Fandral off, the women and Loki fighting as the men ran to try and cover them as they headed for the Bifrost.

They'd gotten within sight of it when they saw a bolt of lightning in the sky from the ruins and knew Thor was using Mjolnir against the giants…and against them as well as a resounding CRACK echoed through the area before the ice beneath their feet began to crack as well.

"What's Thor done?" Volstagg breathed, staring at the ground in horror.

"Likely killed us all!" Loki bit out.

"Go!" Athena turned, ushering them on as the cracking beneath them started to deepen.

They reached the Bifrost just as large beast of some sort rose over the cliff behind the landing area, roaring at them…and then a streak of red flew past, Thor led by Mjolnir, and rammed right into the creature and came out the back. The creature let out a pained wail before it fell back down the cliff and Thor landed beside them.

Unfortunately, he'd also led the remaining Jotun army right to them and they could see it, the massive amount of Jotuns racing right for them, their weapons ready and the warriors hardly able to defend themselves any longer. Still, they steeled themselves and lifted their weapons, ready to face death with a warrior's pride…

When the Bifrost was blasted down behind them, the light illuminating the dark night of Jotunheim to reveal Odin Allfather, astride his mighty steed, in his full armor, Gungnir in hand, had arrived.

And while Thor grinned at the sight, thinking his father had come to join the battle and slaughter the enemy…Athena had a very different idea of why Odin had come.

This would not end well.

A/N: I'm so sorry there was no chapter yesterday :( I received a very harsh ask in my tumblr and the accusations made in it really got to me and I just couldn't focus or bring myself to think about fanfiction or editing afterwards :( It took most of yesterday to just calm myself and try to write a polite and reasonable response back. I was finally able to gather my thoughts enough to respond, but getting all of it written down took more out of me than I thought it would and it was still very hard to focus on editing. For future reference, if I can't get a chapter up, I'll try my best to post a note about it on my tumblr :)

Since I didn't post a chapter yesterday though, I'll be posting 2 today to make up for it :)

For new readers, I always try to respond to questions from reviews or things I feel need a comment on at the end of a chapter, so I'll be putting in a little 'note' section here to respond :)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, thanks! I fixed the summary :)

We'll have to wait and see when Athena goes to earth and who with ;)

We'll see what Athena thinks of Loki as the series goes yup :) Her opinion of him will change as he changes :)

This story will follow the movie yup :)

I can say Athena is based on the Athena of myth yup, but as for if she's actually Athena, we'll have to wait and see ;)


	3. The Wisdom of a King

The Wisdom of a King

The Frost Giants fell back as Odin appeared, though Thor, with his endless hope for warfare, cried out, "Now! We'll finish them together!"

Odin was in no mood to entertain his son's foolish ways as he all but roared, "SILENCE!" at his heir.

Laufey's eyes narrowed but he slammed his fist into the ice around him, forcing it up, rising above them to meet Odin and speak to him. The two rulers began to speak quietly, ignoring the unease with which their separate people felt as they stood there and waited. Athena didn't need to read lips to know what was being discussed, the treaty, Thor's recklessness, she could only hope that the Allfather would find some way to get Laufey to agree not to go to war, though she doubted it would be so. Thor and the little army that had followed him had killed far more Frost Giants than the Frost Giants had Asgardians. It was just as she feared with wereguilds, and now they would all have to pay the price for Thor's recklessness.

Suddenly Laufey swung his arm at Odin, an ice-blade on the end of his arm, but Odin, for as weary as he clearly was, was still far quicker than the Jotun king and slammed Gungnir down on the ice, blasting Laufey and the nearest Jotuns back and activating the Bifrost. A rift opened in the sky and the Asgardians were sucked up into it, pulled off the ground by Heimdall as they appeared, moments later, in the entrance to the Bifrost of Asgard.

Odin wasted no time in striding up to the controls and yanking Heimdall's sword from it, throwing it at the man, rage evident on his face for how Heimdall had either failed his duties or failed in his sworn oath to not allow danger to Asgard by allowing Thor and his team to go to Jotunheim in the first place. Heimdall was wise enough to back away and leave the room, sensing the utter fury in his king and removing himself from the situation either from fear or shame, whichever it was Athena could not bring herself to care.

"Why did you bring us back?!" Thor demanded.

"Did you not see us about to be slaughtered!?" Athena rounded on him, opening her mouth to list all the reason why they had been brought back but Odin held up a hand to silence her.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Odin glared at his son, "What you've started?!"

"I was protecting my home," Thor defended, ignoring Athena's scoff at that.

Odin didn't believe him either, "You cannot protect your friends. How can you hope to protect a kingdom?" he turned to snap at the Warriors Three that were struggling to support Fandral and Lady Sif, "Get him to the healing room!" he snapped, the group hurrying out of the room, Athena bowing her head and moving her hands behind her back when Odin glanced at her, "I take it you tried to warn away from this?"

"Yes, Allfather," she nodded, not about to lie to the man, "Not that Thor would listen. He is as stubborn as Mjolnir."

Thor shot a glare at her for her 'betrayal' and huffed, "There won't be a kingdom to protect if we are afraid to act! Whatever the cost, the world must know that the new King of Asgard will not be held in contempt."

"What new king?" Athena turned to him, "You were NOT coronated!"

Odin held up a hand once more to silence her though she did make a perfect point, Thor seemed to forget that while he might be king one day, he was NOT the king now. And if this was how his son was going to react to a threat or even to a game Laufey might be playing, then he may not be fit to be king ever, "That's pride and vanity that talks! Not leadership! Have you forgotten everything I've taught you? What of a warrior's patience, cunning? What of the wisdom of a king?!"

"While you wait and be patient, the Nine Realms laugh at us!" Thor glared at his father, "And a man is not a man who takes advice from a woman," he nearly spat, not even sparing a glance at Athena. He was WELL aware of his father's plans to groom the woman into being an advisor of sorts…but what's more he knew what sort of advisor the man hoped to see in Athena.

Odin would argue, and had said many times in the past, that his wife, his Frigga, was his wisest advisor. He would praise her for how she tempered him, how she made him see reason when he was blind to it. He would claim that the Queen must be the wisest of all women to balance the king and his might. He knew his father was likely grooming Athena to be not just and advisor, but THE advisor and he did not want his marriage dictated like that. He could admit that…buried deep inside, there…there WERE feelings for Athena, affections, respect, a protectiveness, but they were so far down, buried upon layer and layer of battle that it was hard for him to think of her as a potential wife at times. He saw her as a warrior, as one of the men, even when it came time for formal ceremonies and feasts she continued to wear her armor. He saw her as a rival, an opponent, a sparring partner, a physical equal to him on the field of battle so much so that he couldn't imagine her as his wife.

But then somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind, once or twice, every so often, a dream might strike him of just that, of him sitting on the throne as the king, with Athena beside him as his queen.

But HE wanted to be the decider if that was his future or not, he wanted no say from his father in that matter.

"The old ways are done," he continued, "You'd stand giving speeches while Asgard falls!"

"You're a vain, greedy, cruel boy!" Odin roared.

"And you are an old man and a fool!" Thor shot right back.

Both Athena and Loki closed their eyes at that, nearly feeling the world stopping around them at Thor's damning words. But while Loki knew that Thor, in saying that, had pushed their father too far, Athena had to wonder if Thor realized how like Laufey he sounded just then when HE had been the one defending his father against Laufey's remarks only moments ago.

Odin himself was quite visibly affected by the words his son had hurled at him, falling silent, staring at Thor with his one good eye, before speaking far too calmly for Loki or Athena to keep their eyes closed any longer, "A fool, yes! I was a fool to think you were ready."

"Father…" Loki stepped closer, trying to placate him.

"Loki," Athena shook her head at him, silently telling him not to say a word else Odin turn his rage on Loki as well, for it was all too clear that the man was furious, hurt…but furious.

"Thor Odinson," Odin continued, "You have disobeyed the express command of your King. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you have opened these peaceful Realms and innocent lives to the horrors of war."

Athena and Loki stepped back as the Allfather stepped up to the controls of the Bifrost and stabbed Gungnir into them, starting to build the energy of the Bifrost as he turned it, directing it out into space, creating a portal behind Thor, the winds whipping around him and his armor and cap, nearly sucking him back.

"You are unworthy of this Realm," Odin strode forward and began to rip items off of Thor's armor, "Unworthy of your title," he tore the cloak off his son, "Unworthy of the loved ones you've betrayed. I hereby take from you your powers," he held up his hand and Mjolnir flew into it, "In the name of my father," he aimed the hammer at Thor, striking him with lightning, nearly disintegrating his armor, "And of his father before," before blasting him once more to destroy the rest of it, "I cast you out!"

And with one awful crack, he threw Mjolnir at Thor, sending him back through the portal, flying off into the Bifrost.

Odin took a deep breath before lifting Mjolnir to his lips with a shaking hand, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor," he looked at the hammer, watching as runs appeared on it before he too threw that into the Bifrost as well before the energy dissipated, leaving them in darkness and Thor somewhere in one of the Nine Realms in exile.

Athena swallowed hard and closed her eyes, sending out a silent pray of protection for Thor, the fates only knew what sort of trouble he'd end up in.

~8~

Thor saw the ground growing closer and closer as he was hurled along the Bifrost's energy, till he landed with a sickening thump on the dry dirt of another realm. He felt the air knocked out of him as he struggled to stand, expecting some sort of immediate attack upon his weakened state. It was something Athena had mentioned to him once, never stay down for too long as it gave your enemy ample time to surround you. The sooner you were on your feet the more intimidating you were to the enemy. So he found himself pushing himself up and looking around wildly, stumbling from the jarring sense of trying to make the world stop spinning from his journey. He heard a rumbling noise behind him and quickly spun around, only to see two bright lights heading right for him before what appeared to be a metal box on wheels swerved to the side, slamming the back end of it into him, sending him flying back onto the ground once more.

However this time he didn't get up, that impact had been far more harming and forceful than even the Bifrost. No, that wasn't true, it shouldn't have harmed him at all, but it did. He forced his mind not to think of his father's words, how he was stripping him of his power and immortality. It could NOT be that, upon reaching this realm he had been made so weak as a mortal, it could not be. It had to be something else. Surely his father would not be so cruel as to leave him so defenseless and weak.

He could vaguely hear voices, hear someone, three people, running towards him but his ears were ringing and he felt so weak he could hardly bring himself to move, not even to open his eyes.

"I think that was legally your fault," he heard the voice of a young woman speak.

"Get the first aid kit," another woman, a little older perhaps, ordered.

He nearly winced at that, it reminded him, of all people, of Athena. Sif was more a soldier, she would take orders more than deal them out herself, but Athena…she would argue and bark them out and defend them to her last breath. She was a strategist and even he could admit her orders, when followed, usually had the best outcomes. That woman…she reminded him of Athena, taking command, even when she should not be, even when doing so challenged HIS authority.

He felt someone kneel beside him, touching his face with hands that were too cool, too soft. They were the hands of someone unused to hardship, unused to labor and fighting and battle. They were the hands of someone who didn't have calluses from bows and arrows, from gripping the hilt of a sword for hours on end. They were too soft for him, too fragile, too delicate. They radiated nothing of someone who could defend themselves, who could stand toe to toe with him and hold their own. It was only as he winced slightly, feeling a light shining against his closed eyelids that his mind vaguely realized for a fleeting second that he was imagining Athena's hands at that thought.

But then the hands were cupping his face and seeming to shake him slightly, sending the thoughts drifting away, "Come on, big guy," the second woman was pleading, and even that felt wrong, a woman should never plead but demand, show her power and fortitude and make demands, "Do me a favor and don't be dead, ok? Open your eyes and look at me."

He forced his eyes open with a groan, everything blurred, but for one moment, he saw someone…a woman, with hair illuminated around the edges in a golden light, "…thena?" he mumbled, trying to muster the will to reach up to her to try and see if it WAS her, but he could hardly move his limbs at the moment. But as he blinked more rapidly his vision started to clear and he could see it wasn't her at all, it wasn't Athena but some woman with brown hair, not gold, brown eyes, not gray, pale and not with the subtle tan that he knew Athena had from her days training in the sun.

"Wow," the first woman spoke behind the one hovering over him, he could see a young girl with darker hair, bundled up for a chill and holding some sort of small box with a red cross on it, "Does he need CPR? Because I know CPR."

The woman before him just sat back on her heels, flustered slightly and looked to her right. Thor managed to move his head slightly to see an older man was leaning over his body as well.

"His eyes…" the woman began.

"Are beautiful," the first finished.

"Are dilating," the second corrected, "That's a good sign."

"We still have to get him to a hospital," the man reminded them.

"After we get a reading on the storm?" the second woman asked hopefully.

Thor felt himself frown at that, had these mortals no sense of honor? When a soldier was wounded or fallen in battle, it was the duty of those nearest to get them out of the way if still they lived. It was their duty to see the soldier to the healing tents. He had experienced this often, no matter how glorious the battle, the life of his comrades came first. He…he could remember a time or two where he had helped Athena, limping, off the field of battle. He could vaguely remember (well, not really remember at all but the Warriors Three had told him) of a time when Athena herself had managed to drag him off the field when he had been struck down by a blow to the head. And this mortal woman was inquiring if they could find some sort of storm before seeing to a wounded man?

"Immediately, Jane," the man gave the second woman, Jane, a firm look.

Well at least one of these puny mortals had honor.

"Where did he come from?" he hears the woman, Jane, ask, as though he's not lying right there, as though he wouldn't be able to answer.

He groans, trying to get up, forcing himself to sit up far too quickly, the Jane woman falling back in surprise that he was able to move after being hit by her metal beast most likely. He pushed himself up to his feet, staggering a moment before turning to offer her a hand up as well. She may not be an honorable mortal but HE still had his honor intact. He pulls her up the moment she puts her hand in his, easily too, she's too small, too light. He can tell there's hardly any muscle to her. A puny mortal truly.

"Uh, thanks," Jane brushed a hair behind her ear, "Are you ok?"

But he just turns, there's only one thing he needs to be ok, and he can't quite see it in the dark and with the world still going out of focus around him, "Hammer..."

"Yeah, we can tell you're hammered," the first woman, the younger of the two, remarked, "That's pretty obvious."

Jane turned a small light in her hand to the ground, to where the Bifrost touched down and stared at the runes on the ground, "Erik..." she glanced at the older man, "Look at this."

Thor nearly scoffed at how easily distracted these mortals were. He could crush them all with one hand yet they turned their back on him to look at runes? They were hardly cautious or well trained. It only proved they didn't have a warrior's instinct or reflexes either. He DID frown though when a faint light began to flash from Jane's hands, a small device aimed at the runes as a breeze began to blow them away with the sand and dirt he'd landed on.

"We've got to move fast before anything changes," Jane cried, "We need soil samples, light readings, everything…"

Thor shook his head at that and merely looked up at the sky, trying to see if he could locate the remnants of the Bifrost, not caring what samples and readings she was taking. They mattered not, they wouldn't help him return home.

"Jane," the man, Erik, called, "We need get him to a hospital."

"Not right now. It'll take too long. County's an hour away. We'll drop him off after we're done here. Look at him, he's fine."

Thor felt his hands curl into fists at the woman's presumption that he was 'fine,' he was most certainly not fine if his father was truly going through with this exile, "Father!" he shouted up at the stars angrily, "Heimdall! I know you can hear me! Open the bridge!"

"Ok," Jane murmured, "You and Darcy take him to the hospital, I'll stay here."

"You expect me to leave you alone in the middle of the desert?" Erik scoffed.

"You!" Thor spun to them, stalking over to them, "What world is this?!"

"It's alright, my friend," Erik held his hands up at Thor, moving in front of the two women, seeming to try and calm him down, "We're going to get you some help," he reached out to touch Thor's shoulder but Thor shoved him away, growing even more angry that these mortals would dare touch him.

"Where am I?!" he demanded, taking a step towards them, "Answer me!"

"Erik, just back away," Jane warned Erik calmly.

"You're in the desert outside the town of Puente Antiguo," Erik told Thor gently.

"What _Realm_?!" Thor glared, "Alfheim? Nornheim?"

"Uh...New Mexico?" the young girl offered, before lifting some sort of small device in her hand as he rounded on her.

Thor glared at what he could only assume was a weapon, "You dare threaten Thor with so puny A…"

But the next thing he knew something shot out of the device and latched onto his chest, sending shooting pain racing through his body as he convulsed and fell to the ground, his world going black…

~8~

Odin stood at the balcony of his chambers, leaning heavily on Gungnir as he overlooked Asgard, weary and burdened with the weight of what he'd done.

"How could you have done this?!" Frigga, his wife, demanded as she stormed into the room, no doubt having heard from Loki what had happened with her other son.

"Do you understand what he set in motion?" he defended, "He's taken us to the brink of war!"

"But banishment?" she shook her head, horrified, "You would lose him forever? He's your son!"

"What would you have done?"

"I would not have exiled him to a world of mortals, stripped of his powers, to suffer alone. I would not have had the heart for such cruelty!"

"That is why _I'm_ King," he glared at her a moment, before realizing who he was speaking to and what she meant to him and sighed, "I, too, grieve the loss of our son. But there are some things that even I cannot undo."

"You can bring him back," Frigga pleaded.

"No," Odin shook his head, turning back to look at the realm, hardened, "His fate is in his own hands now."

He waited until Frigga turned and stormed out of the room before he let out a weary sigh, reaching up to rub his throbbing head. He knew he had acted rashly, he had done just as he had always warned Thor against doing. Perhaps he had done the wrong thing.

He looked up once more and took a breath, there was only one person he could think to ask to determine whether his actions would be for Thor's benefit or detriment. So with that in mind, he turned and strode out of the room, telling a guard to fetch the one he needed to speak with.

~8~

Thor slowly woke to find himself lying in a bright, white room, on a bed of some sort, his clothing removed and replaced with a blue gown of sorts. He looked to his wrists and ankles to see that they were tied to the railings of the bed and struggled against them. He had vague memories of what had happened between collapsing in the desert and waking there. He remembered someone sticking a needle into his arm and him fighting them for attacking the son of Odin. He remembered men racing in and holding him down as he was stabbed once more with a needle before his world went black again and he'd woken like this. Clearly the restraints were meant to keep him from attacking once more.

He struggled more and more to get the restraints off ad as shocked to find he couldn't pull them free, "It's not possible," he murmured, though he knew it was.

It was real.

His father had taken his immortality and power from him.

He grit his teeth and tried again, calling all his strength to him as he pulled and pulled finally managing to slip his hand free. He made quick work of getting his other wrist free, and then his legs, before he slid off the bed and made his way to the door. He was cautious this time. Clearly the humans reacted to violence and with cowardly weapons meant to take an enemy out before they could fight. He was not about to let that happen again. He hurried down a corridor, looking through the windows of rooms till he saw what appeared to be a staircase and ran down them. He went down and down and down as far as he could till he saw sunlight. He pushed through the door and found himself on a pavement of black with white rectangles painted onto the ground and more of the metal boxes on wheels lined up.

He shook his head and ran down the length of the building, moving to another line of cars to try and have more cover should anyone try to see him…only for one of the metal boxes to roll back into him, hitting him once more and sending him to the ground in a daze.

"I'm so sorry!" he heard Jane's voice as she and Erik rushed to help him to his feet.

He was growing irritated with this, with the constant attacks. Athena attacked him a lot, but it was a spar, it was a willing fight between two capable warriors. This…this was an unfair and harmful attack and he had been attacked 3 times by these people so far. They were not engendering trust out of him with their actions.

"I swear I'm not doing that on purpose."

"Blue sky," he murmured, finally able to see it in the daylight compared to the night before, "One sun...this is Earth, isn't it?"

"I think you may have hit him with the car one time too many," the young woman called from the side.

"Let's get you some clothes," Jane offered, leading him to the metal box as he eyed it warily.

Whoever these people were, they were less a threat than the men who had held him down before. That building behind him had to be some sort of torture facility. He would take the three people who had hit him with metal boxes and small devices over that any day.

~8~

Athena dropped to a knee before Odin as he sat on his throne, her fist to her shoulder, "You asked for me Allfather?"

She had been on her way to the house of healing to check on the Warriors Three and Sif when a guard had told her that Odin wished an audience with her immediately.

"You may rise Lady Athena," Odin called and she stood, moving her hands behind her back as she offered him her full attention. He sighed, "I am…troubled," he confided in her, knowing that he needed a different perspective than father or king about this matter. He needed to know what someone who saw Thor as a warrior, as a friend, as a prince, as an imperfect man, thought of all of this.

"Over Thor's banishment," she reasoned.

He nodded, "I fear I may have acted rashly."

Athena gave a small nod, not of agreement, but of understanding what he was trying to ask her without wanting to sound like he was actually ASKING her something. As king he had to appear strong and sure to all, "I do not believe you acted such, Allfather."

Odin straightened, "You do not?"

"No," she lifted her chin, "I saw it in you when Thor spoke harshly. You were silent for a long while, you let the words sink and you let them settle. I do believe your decision was made timely enough. You have years of experience and patience beyond Thor, I believe any decision you made regarding his actions were the result of that experience and patience."

He eyed her a long while, "Do you agree with what I did?"

"I…do not believe I am entitled to speak that opinion, Allfather," she gave an apologetic nod, "YOU are the king. I am merely one of many advisors."

"But you are the one whose opinion will matter most to my son," he countered, "I know you care for him, Athena, I would not need even one eye to see it," he gave her a small smile as she looked momentarily surprised he noticed that before she schooled her features once more, "I ask you, as someone who cares for Thor and for Asgard, do you believe I acted justly."

"I believe…Thor was not ready to be king," she began slowly, "I believe that a lesson in humility, in being humble, in seeing that actions have consequences is needed. I believe one can only grow stronger when they have been weak. Thor has…never been powerless," she thought out loud, "He has never had to appreciate the power he did have. I believe he must see how his actions would affect others. Yes," she nodded, "I do believe you were just, Allfather. It is not an easy lesson to teach or one to learn, but it is necessary."

Odin nodded, "I believe it is even harder a lesson to learn with no instruction given nor instructor to give it."

Athena blinked at that, "I suppose."

Odin eyed her a long while, "I have ordered Heimdall that no Asgardian is to use the Bifrost," he told her, "There are but three who can," he looked at her pointedly, "If I were to assign you the task of…guiding Thor, of advising him in his darkest moments, of being a support when he is at his weakest…would you accept?"

Athena blinked, "If you assign me a task, Allfather, I shall see it done."

He smiled at that, at her loyalty, at her diplomatic answer. Athena was very guarded about her feelings most times, choosing to use play on words to make them more about facts and missions and lessons than how she truly felt about something. It seemed she only slipped up around Thor but then again…for as much as Athena had observed Thor's fighting style when first they met, he knew his son had observed Athena in all other areas, he knew how to get under her skin.

"Would you wish YOU be assigned this task?" he amended.

Athena looked down a moment, "I would be…honored to receive it."

He nearly shook his head fondly at the girl for her answer, that was as close as he knew he would be able to get to her admitting she would rather it be HER sent there than anyone else.

"Go to Heimdall," he ordered her, though it was more like a comment than a true and fearsome order, "Go to Thor and guide him to being the king I know he can be."

Athena nodded, clapping her fist to her shoulder once more before she turned and strode out of the room, letting out a relieved breath as she went. She wouldn't say it out loud but…she wasn't entirely happy with the banishment. She'd been wandering the palace for hours, lost in thought about it. She would never tell another soul but...she had grown quite accustomed to Thor being there, even as a thorn in her side at times and even now, just the few hours he'd been away had left her unbalanced.

But that would be dealt with soon, soon she'd be with Thor again and…she could help him, she would help him, because Odin was right, Thor was not ready for the throne right now but…she could see it too, she could see the king Thor could be.

She just had to help him see it too.

A/N: Poor Athena, she's so conflicted. I'm very excited to see her on Earth though, I can say that a lot of what's coming will be sort of a 'reactive' thing for Athena and Thor, the banishment and separation shook them up more than they realize and it won't be till they do something before thinking that they realize how much ;)

Also, just wanted to put here since it was brought up a few times in my Loki/OC story, I do know that earth is called Midgard by the Asgardians, yes. However, Fandral and Thor in the movie both call it earth as well. So I take it to mean it could be Midgard or Earth (kind of like how you can say America or the States and mean the same thing) ;) Just wanted to make that statement before it was brought up ;)

And I wanted to say thank you guys for your support in dealing with the tumblr situation. It shook me up a little even after I responded there was still the little niggling unease, but you guys made me smile :')

And...since it's Friday the 13th, I think we could all use a little luck so I'm going to post a second chapter of this story today :)

Some notes on reviews...

I can say we'll see at least 1 of Athena's siblings before the Heroic Hymns are over ;)

Athena will talk to Loki about being a Frost Giant, but we may not see that for a while :(

Lol, yup, I made Athena wary of spiders exactly because of that ^-^

Oh they're definitely a match ;)


	4. A New Arrival

A New Arrival

In the desert of New Mexico, a black SUV pulled up to a ridge, a man in a black suit getting out, sunglasses on his eyes, as he looked down at a small gathering of townspeople in the base of the valley. There was a small rock on the ground, in the middle of what looked like a faint outline of a circle, with what appeared to be a hammer of sorts half embedded in it. There was a ring of cars around the hammer, townies surrounding it, cheering and jeering as man after man tried to pull the hammer out.

He grinned and pulled out his cell phone, dialing up his director, "It's here," he called, "We found it."

He nodded as he was given instructions, before he turned to a set of cars that had followed him and gestured to the men within down to the valley, silently telling them to get to work. He turned, watching them go, before he crossed his arms, seeing the townies being led off as more trucks began to arrive, they needed to set up a temporary facility, and they had to do it quickly.

So focused was he on the goings on below, that he flinched and spun around when a blasting noise sounded behind him and a light shot out from the sky. He slowly straightened up, pulling off his glasses as he stared at the beam of light. He frowned when he saw a shadow fly through the beam and a resounding THUD rang out as it crashed into the ground. He looked up, following the light as it retracted right into the sky before he noticed that the shadow that had hit the ground was still there, lying on the ground. He hurried over to it, taking a moment to look at the runes on the ground before he pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture, lifting the phone to his ear as he dialed the number once more, staring at the center of the circle.

"Sir," he spoke, "We've got a situation," he began, shaking his head, "The object isn't the only thing that came through. No sir," he sighed, staring at the figure, "Not what…WHO."

He slowly closed the phone and stared at the blonde woman in brown armor that was lying on the ground, unconscious.

~8~

Thor frowned as he stood in a small tiled room of a building Jane had taken him to. He was looking at the bottoms that the woman had given him to wear, something called a jean. Odd word that. He noticed it was the same sort of material that the other woman, Darcy, was wearing, and that was even odder, to see women wearing trousers like men. He knew that Athena refused to wear the leggings that Sif wore, and he could admit her reasons for it were very…reasonable. She was a true warrior, she used every asset, every tactic to her advantage. Being one of the few warriors in Asgard that was also a woman, he knew that her legs were quite a distraction to her opponents if she used them in the right way. HE didn't really notice that, to him it was unbecoming and dishonorable to look at a woman's legs unless they specifically designed or intended them to be looked at. And while Athena showed her legs for the purpose of distracting others, for them to be seen, he himself didn't look in that area unless it was impossible for him to.

Well, he could admit he did cheat sometimes, but he always caught himself before he could offend her. Though he was slightly suspicious she had begun to tease/taunt him about it as he always caught a smirk on her face whenever he was so weak as to look there. He looked down at his chest, bare, without covering, and grinned to himself. All was well though, he used his own body to his advantage on more than one occasion as well when it came to her. Athena was…unique in an odd way. It was like she hardly ever noticed the other men when they'd be training, when they would have their chests exposed, she barely spared them a look. She was never distracted by them, she never really seemed interested. But HIM…that was different. She looked at him and he was quite pleased to notice that, at times, she was as distracted by his chest as he could be with her legs. He took enormous pleasure in knowing that he had some sort of affect on her, that his efforts had made her…notice him as well.

He had noticed that she engaged him more than other men, not just on the field of battle or in the sparring rings, but outside. She engaged him with words and thought, she made him consider things in a new way, strategize in a different way. She had her own unique look to warfare, her own different way to examine a situation that he was slowly learning. She sought him out as equally as he did her, both of them seeming to just…come together, to talk or walk or read or eat. He would have thought it alarming how often they ran into each other, how often they were in each other's company…had it not been for the fact that half the time he was intentionally seeing her out and he was fairly certain the other half of the time it was her intentions to seek him out.

He enjoyed her company a great deal, at times they had qualms with attributes of the other, but it was normal. She had thought him an arrogant child (he had likely proven it) and he thought her a too-tense stickler. He'd managed to get her to enjoy things over their time together, he'd gotten her to see that it wasn't always about out-thinking the enemy but that brute force could be beneficial as well. He'd gotten her to relax and be less serious. In doing so he'd likely just made her think him more a child by his actions. She still thought him an arrogant child and something about that, hearing her verbalize that to him repeatedly and just recently, struck him more than before. He didn't want her to think that. She was a…remarkable woman and he…wanted to seem remarkable to her.

He looked up, hearing the women speaking, "You know, for a crazy homeless guy," Darcy was saying, "He's pretty cut."

Thor frowned at that, glancing at Darcy to see that she was looking at his chest in the reflection of the mirror before him. He actually found him shifting at that, at the thought of someone looking at his form like that, at the two women out there doing so. He had no qualms with his warriors seeing him, not even the females. He blinked as he realized the only one he actually delighted in them seeing him like this was Athena. It felt…wrong, it made him step out of the room in search for some sort of tunic to cover himself with. Within moments Jane was before him, handing him exactly what he'd been looking for, seeming as uncomfortable with his appearance as we was with them seeing it.

"Hey," Darcy called, "Sorry I tased you!"

Thor gave a brief nod, not about to deny someone a victory if they earned it over him, he wouldn't be angry or bitter either, women had bested him in battle before, however he doubted Darcy had ever fought a day in her life. He turned, seeing pictures of the Bifrost and some metal boxes with odd buttons on them and began to poke at them, interested, perhaps they would be able to help him find a way home.

"Excuse me... excuse me!" Jane huffed, trying to push the boxes away from him before she turned him towards the pictures of the Bifrost specifically.

He didn't bother to question it, this was not his world or his items, they were Jane's and he would respect that which she didn't want him to touch. He moved to put the tunic on…only to see some sort of white paper stuck to it that said 'Hello, My Name Is…Dr. Donald Blake,' and looked at it puzzled.

Jane just ripped it off, "My ex," she explained but he wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, what was an ex? Perhaps some sort of trophy she had kept from a man she had conquered in the past, "They're the only clothes I had that'll fit you. Sorry."

"They will suffice," he nodded, putting the shirt on.

"You're welcome," Jane said dryly, "Now tell me..." she pointed to a specific picture with what appeared to be himself as a shadowy figure inside the Bifrost's light, "What were you doing in that?"

"What does anyone do in the Bifrost?" he countered easily, not understanding why they didn't know about the Bifrost or what it meant. The humans should have known about him, about everything, they had been on Earth before, their ancestors should have passed on the tales of their glory. He glanced over to see that Erik was staring at him, a hint of recognition in his eyes, though Jane quickly started to write that down on pieces of paper. He turned, watching her making the oddest of scribbles on the page.

"The Bifrost..." Erik repeated, sounding both amused and skeptical at the word.

"What exactly is the Bifrost?" Jane asked.

But Thor ignored her question, merely gesturing to himself, "This mortal form has grown weak," he sounded rather annoyed by that.

"But…" Jane sighed, but he moved to the area of the building where he could smell food hidden and began to search, "Somebody get the mortal a Pop-Tart."

He turned to her, not sure what a pop-tart was till Darcy thrust a piece of brown crumbly rectangle into his hand.

~8~

Sif and the Warriors Three dwelt in the Healing Room of the palace, Loki standing behind them, absently looking at his hand while the Warriors were tended too. They all looked worse for the wear, battered and bruised and quite shocked about everything that had happened from going to Jotunheim to then. Word had spread quickly of Thor's banishment and none felt more guilty than those in that room. There was a fire roaring in the center of the room, though it was more for a distraction than heat to them, the men and woman sitting there, staring into it with grim expressions.

Hogun was closest, and reached into the flames to pull out a small healing stone, the fire and the stone not even affecting him as he moved over to Fandral and placed the stone on his wound, allowing it to glow.

"Don't you think we should wait for Athena?" Sif called, seeing Hogun tending to the man, "She is more skilled in healing wounds than you."

She wasn't much better than any of them, but Athena seemed to have more of a knowledge about it. She claimed it was only wise for a person to know how to heal a wound they inflicted, there was also something about her brother being a healer and how she had learned a few tricks from him as well that helped. She was also quite skilled with a needle and thread, in patching up the more glaring wounds that the stones just couldn't seem to close.

"I haven't seen her," Volstagg remarked, frowning as he looked at the others, "Have you?"

"No," Fandral winced as the stones got to work.

"I should go find her," Sif stood.

"I wouldn't bother," Fandral remarked, "You know how she gets when she is troubled, she wishes to be alone."

"She should not be," Sif defended though she sat down again, knowing that Athena preferred to sit by the waterfall just outside the palace for the solitude it provided, if she were to disturb that now, Athena would be in a bitter mood. She often got quiet at times, deep in thought, and would go there to sort them, she'd refuse to return till she had settled her thoughts and could be in a rather foul mood when she was interrupted before she had a chance to decide what her thoughts were, "She will be blaming herself for this. You know Odin is mentoring her as an advisor."

"The blame should fall to all of us," Volstagg remarked, "We should never have let him go."

"There was no stopping him," Sif sighed, leaning forward to put her head in her hands, "Even Athena couldn't talk him out of it this time."

Loki shifted slightly at that, not about to say that Athena HAD talked him out of it, but that HE had talked his brother back into it.

"At least he's only banished, not dead," Fandral grunted, "Which is what we'd all be if that guard hadn't told Odin where we'd gone."

"How did the guard even know?" Volstagg frowned.

"I told him," Loki spoke up from behind them.

"What!?" Fandral demanded.

"I told him to go to Odin after we'd left. He should be flogged for taking so long. We should never have reached Jotunheim."

"You told the guard?" Volstagg repeated.

Sif felt her lips quick a bit, if Athena had been there she would have made some dry remark about how that was covered already and that yes, Loki had informed the guard, he'd just said so. But that made her smile fall quickly, she really should go find Athena so she wouldn't blame herself. Thor and Athena might be oblivious, but she could tell they cared for each other. Athena would be beating herself up over this more than she ever had anything in the past. It should have been glaringly obvious to the wise woman that she had deep feelings for Thor in how she reacted to him, she always got more upset or aggressive when Thor was involved than with any other.

"I saved our lives!" Loki defended, "And Thor's. I had no idea Father would banish him for what he did."

"Loki, you must go to the Allfather and convince him to change his mind!" Sif turned to him, she would have asked Athena, that woman had a way with words and debating that stood a chance of convincing Odin to allow Thor back but with Athena not there…Loki would be the next best bet.

"And if I do, then what?" Loki scoffed, "I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you know what he is. He's arrogant. He's reckless. He's dangerous. Even Athena saw that. _You_ saw how he was today. Is that what Asgard needs from its King?"

The Warriors looked at each other, unable to argue that Loki did have a point.

Loki sighed, "I will go check on Athena," he offered, "She doesn't mind my company so much when she thinks. Unlike you I have the ability to hold my tongue when necessary," he remarked, turning to stride out.

Hogun frowned as he watched the man go, feeling like Athena was NOT what he was going to check on.

"He may speak of the good of Asgard, but he's always been jealous of Thor," Sif muttered.

"We should be grateful to him," Volstagg argued, "He saved our lives."

"Laufey said there were traitors in the House of Odin," Hogun murmured quietly as the others turned to look at him, he didn't speak much but when he did he could be as wise as Athena was, "A master of magic could easily bring three Jotuns into Asgard."

"Loki's always been one for mischief, but you're talking about something else entirely!" Fandral nearly shouted.

"And he is Thor's brother," Volstagg agreed, "Of all those involved in the House of Odin's affairs…as much as I do not believe it, Athena would be the one that fingers would be pointed at."

"Volstagg!" Sif gaped at him, startled he would say such a thing, "She has proven her loyalty to Thor and Odin a hundredfold!"

"Aye," Volstagg nodded, "But you know this Sif, she was not raised as we four were, around Thor and Loki, she merely began training with us out of the blue one day, full-grown. I am merely saying, of the six of us that are closest to Thor, she is the one who was here the least amount of time."

"But she is the one Thor trusts the most," Fandral remarked, "And so shall we four trust her."

Hogun was silent, but agreeing, he would sooner distrust Thor's own brother than Athena.

~8~

Thor was sitting at a table in an odd tavern called 'Isabela's Diner,' happily eating a huge mound of steak and eggs with other foods he'd been told were pancakes and biscuits beside him, all piled high for him to eat. Jane, Erik and Darcy were sitting around him, though they only had small cups of some sort of black liquid before them, Jane with more papers she was writing eagerly on as he munched away.

"Now tell us exactly what happened to you last night," Jane began, it was a deal they'd made when he'd eaten all the pop-tarts in her home and still claimed to be hungry. She'd offered to get him as much food as he needed to fill up if he would tell her about the Bifrost.

Thor frowned and looked up at her as he ate, not quite sure why she seemed so focused on the Bifrost, it was just the Bifrost. But Jane seemed to get flustered with his curious gaze and looked away. That made him frown, seeing a faint pint tint to her cheeks, and left him wondering if her puny mortal body was coming down with some sort of illness. He'd only seen a woman flush like that in one of two ways, from the heat of battle, a very well fought battle either in a war or in a spar, Athena's always looked quite lovely and made her golden hair shine even more in contrast with her pink cheeks. Or when they were attracted to another man…but that couldn't be. He had done nothing that would warrant that sort of emotion. He had done nothing like the small actions and words he did and spoke around Athena that got her to blush like that. Though, if he were being honest, now that he was thinking about a woman blushing, he hadn't even realized he'd said or done half the things he had around Athena for the purpose of seeing her blush. He liked to think he was trying to upset her or annoy her, to lead her into a verbal spar but…he could admit that more often than not some sort of complement slipped through that he hadn't intended. But he had done nothing of the sort with Jane so there was no reason for the blush to be on her face.

Perhaps she'd eaten her own meal too fast and her stomach was not agreeing with her.

Jane cleared her throat, "Maybe start with how you got inside that cloud."

"And how you could eat an entire box of Pop-Tarts and still be this hungry," Darcy added though Jane sent her a withering look.

Thor reached out and picked up his drink, gulping the black liquid down, "This drink. I like it."

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?" Darcy smiled, "Isabela makes the best coffee in town."

He nodded a moment before hurling it to the ground, shattering it, "Another!" he cried out, but all he got was jumps from everyone around him and an older woman behind a counter glaring at him.

"Sorry, Izzy," Jane turned to speak to her, "Little accident," before speaking in an odd language a moment till she turned back to him, "What was that?" she hissed at him.

He frowned, "It was delicious. I want another."

"Then you should just say so!"

He blinked and gestured at the ground where the glass shards were being picked up by a waitress, "I just did."

"I mean ask for it. Nicely."

He straightened as he realized what she was saying, something Athena had warned him about the first time she saw him do such a thing, that other people might not see it as a sign that he was enjoying their beverage but that he was destroying their property. He'd never thought much about it as all the Asgardians did such a thing, it was their sign for enjoyment of something, but he could understand now, on Earth it was likely an insult, "I meant no disrespect."

"Alright," Jane nodded, "Then no more smashing, deal?"

"You have my word."

"Good."

He looked over as a small group of men entered the building and moved to the counter where Isabela was, all of them talking quietly, though one man who appeared to have drunk too much ale spoke louder than the others, "You missed all the excitement out at the crater."

"What crater?" Isabela asked, not sounding interested at all.

"They're saying some kind of satellite crashed in the desert," one of the other, more sober, men shrugged.

"We were having a good time with it till the Feds showed up, chased us out," the drunk lamented.

"Excuse me," Jane called, "Did you say there was a satellite crash?"  
"Yep. They said it was radioactive. And I had my hands all over it," the man gasped, "I'm probably sterile now.!"

Thor shrugged at that, whether the gods of fertility decided to curse the man's loins were no interest to him, so he returned his attention to the large pile of food and began to dig in again.

"Oh my God, this is going on Facebook," Darcy laughed at the sight, picking up a small rectangular device and held it up to him, "Smile!" she ordered.

He frowned for a moment, eyeing the device, before smiling when he realized it was not the same device that had attacked him in the desert.

"What did the satellite look like?" Erik continued to ask as he ate.

"I don't know nothing about satellites," the drunk shrugged, "But it was heavy. Real heavy. Nobody could lift it."

THAT, however, did get Thor's attention as he quickly jumped to his feet, swallowing the last of his food, and rushed over to the drunk man, turning him on his rotating chair to face him, "Where?!" he demanded.

The drunk, too inebriated to be afraid of the intimidating man before him, merely shrugged, "About twelve miles east of here."

Thor grinned at that, patting the man on the shoulder before he strode out of the diner, leaving his food.

"I wouldn't bother!" one of the other men called, "Looked like the whole Army was coming in when we left!"

But Thor just rushed out into the middle of the street and looked at the sun, trying to determine the direction he needed to head in was as Jane, Darcy, and Erik ran after him.

"Where are you going?" Jane asked.

"Twelve miles east of here," he turned to head in that direction, just knowing that the 'satellite' the man had mentioned was his hammer.

"Why?"

"To get what belongs to me."

"So now you own a satellite?" Jane gave him an incredulous look.

"It's not what they say it is."

"Whatever it is, the government seems to think it's theirs. You intend to just walk in there and take it?"

"Yes," he stopped walking, starting to get a little irritated with her questions.

Athena asked many questions as well, but hers were always different, they weren't repeats of the same thing or questions that should have an obvious answer to them. It should have been clear where he was going from the fact he'd left just after finding out where the satellite was, the why he could allow, but as for that if he said he was going for something that belonged to him than whatever it was was something he owned and the fact that he WAS going there meant that yes, he was planning to take it back. All of which he knew would be something Athena would have been able to work out herself. This woman before him seemed to pride herself on being a scientist of some sort, a woman of learning, yet she was quite…dim, or so it appeared to him. But then again, he had been noticing, through his time with Athena, that there were times men and women he knew all his life started to appear the same to him after the challenge and brilliance he saw in her mind.

He turned to Jane, hoping it would help end the questions if he offered her something else, "If you take me there now, I'll tell you everything you wish to know."

She blinked, "Everything?"

"All the answers you seek will be yours, once I reclaim Mjolnir," he nodded, he would not give her any more answers till she had helped him.

Darcy frowned at that, "Myeu-muh?" she struggled to pronounce it, "What's Myeu-muh?"

"Jane," Erik reached out and tugged her to the side for a private conversation.

He stood there a moment longer, looking out towards the east, trying to gauge how far out the 12 miles would be, how far out of this town it would take him, he hadn't quite been conscious the last time that journey had been made. He turned back when Jane and Erik walked back.

"I'm sorry," Jane shook her head, "I can't take you."

"I understand," he nodded and, if he were being honest, he was a little relieved at that, not only would his quest likely put three inexperienced people into harm's way, but he had a strong feeling that despite him saying he would only give answers AFTER her help, Jane would not hesitate to ask him questions during it as well, "Then this is where we say goodbye," he took her hand and put a platonic kiss to the back of it as was only customary for a prince to do to those who had helped him.

"That's..." Jane swallowed hard, "Thank you."

He gave her a small bow and looked at the three of them, "Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy. Farewell," he bowed his head in a nod goodbye before he turned and walked away without a glance back.

~8~

Athena slowly woke, blinking bearliy as an almost too bright light hit her eyes, the room she was in was stark white, and small and gleaming and reminded her far too much of her home but was still too foreign for her to feel comfortable. She tried to sit up only to realize she was lying on a bed of some sort and that her arms were bound to the sides of a metal railing lining either side of it with heavy manacles that she could see, given the state of the room around her, were something far too advanced for those that had taken her. She looked down at her body when she shifted to see that something was off there too. Gone was her armor and weapons and in their place were white trousers and a white shirt with short sleeves. She struggled, trying to pull the links of the manacles off the railings, to snap them but realized they were created of a stronger metal than she expected.

She looked up when she heard a whooshing noise to see a man in black enter, a man with short brown hair and what she was sure was meant to be a kind smile but she glared at him none the less for clearly he had to be one of her captors.

"You're awake," he remarked.

"You have eyes," she shot back.

"You speak English," he nodded, seemingly pleased with that, "I'm Agent Coulson…"

"I don't care," she cut in, "Release me."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Coulson shook his head, "If you were to tell me your name though, perhaps we could work out a deal of some sort."

She clenched her jaw and fists at that, "Athena," she growled out, "And I do not take kindly to being restrained."

"Sorry about that," he gave her an apologetic look, "We had to take precautions. You see you're not the first person to appear like that," he stepped to the foot of her bed, "A man escaped the hospital recently that our sources believe arrived on Earth just like you did."

"Thor?" she breathed, "You found him?"

"Thor," he nodded, "Yes, I believe that is the name that was given," he frowned at that, "Thor and Athena?"

"Yes?" she narrowed her eyes, hearing a disbelieving tone in his voice.

"Nothing," he defended with a light shrug, "You'll have to excuse me it's just…those names are well known if uncommon. As for those," he gestured at the bindings around her wrist, "This…Thor person exhibited an equally uncommon strength. We couldn't risk you having the same."

She clenched her jaw again, there was a wisdom and precaution and logic in that that she would have admired in the man if he hadn't been one of her captors, "So you won't release me," she realized, "No matter the deal struck."

He winced at that, caught, "Doesn't seem like it. No."

"Then I should warn you, I am aware of what my name might mean to you," she threatened, "And I shall live up to it fully. I WILL find a way out of here and none of your men will stop me."

Coulson sighed, "I was hoping you wouldn't say something like that," he turned to the door and gestured for someone to come in, a woman in a white uniform, a white mask over her nose and mouth with some sort of needle with fluid in it in her hand, "I really am sorry about this."

That was the last thing she heard before the needle was injected into a tube that she now realized was connected to her elbow, the substance inside it released into her veins as her world went black, her last thought being that at least Thor had escaped.

A/N: Sorry this was a bit late :( Bit of a tense situation at home that resulted in me spending most of the day outside it with my mother. Because this chapter was so late, the next one might be just a few hours late as well to try and space out the chapters and give people time to read this one first :)

I wasn't planning to include the Healing Room scene with Sif and the others, but I wanted to sort of show that Athena's coming to earth isn't well known to them, they have no idea at the moment, and to sort of see their thoughts on her and Thor :) I was SO tempted to have Athena just sort of track Thor down, but I also really wanted Coulson to be there and see more of him earlier and there'll be a sort of important moment for Thor and Athena coming that had to have her 'capture' first ;)

Some notes on reviews...

I'm glad you gave the story a chance and are enjoying it :) I'll do my best to keep it going and enjoyable in the chapters to come :)

Oh there'll be quite a bit of action during the reunion ;)

I actually have it noted in my first A/N at the start of the story that this is a Thor/OC, and won't be a Jane/Thor story or a Thor/Sif, so Thor will be with Athena in the end ;)

Athena is based off the Athena of myth yup, but we'll have to wait and see who her siblings might be named after ;)


	5. A Damsel in Distress?

A Damsel in Distress?

The Warriors Three and Sif made their way into the throne room of Asgard, both concerned and determined. They had searched for Athena but seen no trace of her in any of the areas she usually visited when she was upset or needed peace. She wasn't at the waterfall or the library or the training grounds or even in Thor's room (Sif had been the one to check that area, not wanting the other men to know) but it was like she'd vanished. They were quite sure that whatever had happened to her was tied to Thor, perhaps her own self imposed isolation in guilt of what had happened? Either way, they knew that if they could get Thor back, not only would it be for the benefit of Asgard, especially with the strain of the Frost Giants looming (they would need their best warrior present) but also to draw Athena out from wherever she was hiding.

Two guards pulled the doors apart to allow them entry and they strode up towards the throne, quickly bowing their heads and moving to a kneel, a fist to their shoulder in respect.

"Allfather, we must speak with you urgently…" Sif began, only to trail off when they looked up to see not Odin but Loki sitting on the throne, sprawled to the side, nearly lounging. He had his horned helmet on and Gungnir in his hand.

That was...not what they were expecting at all. Odin should have been on the throne, which made them fear for the Allfather if there was something able to keep him, the strongest of them all, from the throne and seeing to Asgard. Worse yet, if there was something truly wrong with the man, than Frigga should have been there in his stead. And if SHE wasn't there...then it was something truly serious and truly alarming, something so terrible that she couldn't leave the Allfather's side. The fact that Loki was there, given what they'd been told of a traitor being in the House of Odin, made them even less comfortable.

"What is this?" Volstagg breathed, voicing the shock they were all feeling.

"My friends," Loki smiled at them, "You haven't heard? I am now Ruler of Asgard."

"Where is Odin?" Fandral frowned.

"Father's fallen into the Odinsleep. My mother fears he may never awaken again."

"We would speak with her," Sif stated then.

But Loki frowned at the request, "She has refused to leave my father's bedside. You can bring your 'urgent' matter to me, your King."

Sif's jaw clenched in irritation but she took a breath, "We would ask you to end Thor's banishment."

"My first command cannot be to undo the Allfather's last," he shook his head, not helping their fears that he wasn't the traitor at all, "We're on the brink of war with Jotunheim. Our people must have a sense of continuity in order to feel safe in these difficult times."

"Would they not feel safe with two of her warriors here?" Sif argued.

"Two?" Loki gave her an odd look.

"We um…cannot seem to find Athena," Fandral offered.

"You shall not find her anywhere in Asgard," Loki told them.

"What?!" Volstagg demanded, "Why? Where has she gone?"

"She was sent to Earth," Loki smirked.

"What?!" all four of them cried.

"Why?" Sif shook her head.

"I spoke with Heimdall," he offered, "It was upon Father's order," he added sadly, or trying to sound contrite about it, "I fear he was…disappointed in her failure to advise Thro wisely."

Fandral reached out and grabbed Sif's arm as she took a step towards Loki in anger. But…none of them could deny that they hadn't found Athena anywhere. And if Heimdall opened the Bifrost, after Odin himself gave the order that none of them were to be allowed access to it, then it had to be true. They had been in the healing halls since they'd returned from Jotunheim, they wouldn't be able to see the Bifrost activated. They all knew that Odin put a…special burden on Athena, more so than them. He trusted the woman to not only control Thor but to temper his anger and to advise him and she (as had they all) failed. But they knew Odin would focus on her more than them and it made sense that she had been banished as well. They were NOT at all happy about it though, she didn't deserve to be banished, if she had been then so should they as well.

"All of us who remain must stand together," Loki spoke, seeing them exchanging a glance at the news, "For the good of Asgard."

"…of course," Fandral gave a nod before tugging Sif back, turning to lead the others out of the room.

If Athena had been banished with Thor for what happened in Jotunheim, then it was only fair that they should be banished as well. And if there was something else going on...it changed nothing, they HAD to get to Earth, they HAD to get Thor back, for the sake of Asgard.

Loki could not remain on the throne until they knew who the traitor was for, right in that moment, they feared it could be him.

~8~

Thor was sitting in a car, as Jane had explained the metal boxes on wheels were called, as she took him to his hammer. He had been in the 'pet store' as a sign read and had asked for a horse. However it appeared that the bartering stations in this world were ill equipped to actually keep animals of value and only had dogs, cats, and birds in the building. Surely one of them could be big enough for him to ride into battle on though judging by the look the man had given him, that was not the case. He had heard a noise behind him and turned to see Jane in the metal box and she had offered to help him instead. The 'car' was much faster than a horse and more comfortable to sit upon but that was as far as his fondness for the box went after having been hit by it twice so far. Horses could be controlled, trained, prevented from harming others yet this box was at the hands of a human to control…and they were quite violent at times.

He was just eager to get to his hammer and retrieve the power that had been taken from him. With Mjolnir in his hands, he would finally be able to return to Asgard and prove to his father that he was a worthy and wise ruler. He could not understand the logic in his father banishing him there or stripping his power from him. There was no point to it, to him it was his father acting like a rash and foolish little boy instead of HIM. Many would claim Odin Allfather to be the wisest ruler in the Nine Realms but there was much to be said about the man. He was old, he was aging, and soon his mind would leave him, he was quite certain it had already begun, and it would benefit Asgard to have a strong, sure king on the Throne instead. Why his father could not see that was beyond him.

He glanced up, hearing a soft rumbling above him to see storm clouds were gathering in the distant desert sky, though the sound was soon covered up by Jane speaking, "I've never done anything like this before!" she cheered, "Have you ever done anything like this before?"

He glanced at her, she reminded him of one of the younger soldiers before their first battle, they were always so eager for the glory that came with victory, with the heat of battle, with being able to prove their skills that they glorified true warfare which was nothing like that at all. He had been like that as well during his first battle, and he had been entirely scarred from it. It was one thing to hear tales about heroes cut down in the middle of a fierce battle…it was another to be there and see a comrade's throat slit and feel their blood splatter onto you as you fought just to survive to the end of the battle. He had been disillusioned of how wonderful and thrilling battle was for a long while after that. It wasn't till he had begun to train with the Warriors Three and Sif, and later with Athena and Loki that he had started to trust that he and his comrades would be safe in battle and started to enjoy the thrill again.

Thinking about it, it was a wonder Loki had become as skilled as he was in battle for how little he'd wanted anything to do with it at first. He had been their mother's son, more focused on learning magic from her than the way of the sword from their father. It was actually Athena that had gotten him interested in learning to fight. Loki had always thought that fighting and battle was all about brute strength and people beating each other with sticks but Athena had somehow shown him that it involved (or could involve) quite a large deal of actual thinking, that there were ways to beat your opponent even before they managed to land a blow. Loki had quickly started to ask for training after he saw Athena fight.

He had noticed that.

He'd noticed that quite quickly.

And before he'd even realized it he'd gone to his brother to ask about his sudden change of heart and found himself listening intently to Loki speak of Athena. He'd felt, for a moment, confused by how relieved he was that Loki merely admired Athena's intelligence and ability to out think her opponents and not was not interested in…other things about the woman. He'd convinced himself quite quickly after that that it was just his own relief at having an opponent like Athena there to challenge him. She had a different method and style of fighting and he always liked to push himself more and best his opponents. But now that he sat there thinking about it, why had he used the word 'convinced himself?' Why had he had to convince himself of feeling one way? It would imply that he was really feeling another way.

He shook his head, trying to focus on the matter at hand, "Many times," he answered, "You're brave to do it."

"They just stole my entire life's work," Jane huffed, "I really don't have anything left to lose."

He frowned at that, he'd heard that from many young men before battles, there was always more to lose than one would think, "But you're clever. Far more clever than anyone else in _this_ Realm."

HIS realm though, well, it was hard to be impressed with clever and wit and intelligence when he'd been around Athena as long as he had. For the people of this Realm, Jane was likely brilliant, but compared to Athena…

He blinked, starting to frown as he realized at that moment how much he'd been comparing Jane to Athena. It hit him in a single instant just how much he'd been thinking about her from the moment he woke up to now. It…was even more of a shock to him to realize that he wasn't actually thinking of her any more than usual it was just…she was usually always THERE, she was always beside him so it wasn't like he noticed just how much he thought of her. But now that he was on Earth, without her, it was glaring at him in his mind, as bright as the Bifrost's energy, how much she was a constant thought in his mind.

"This Realm?" Jane scoffed, pulling him out of his thoughts, "Why do you talk like that?"

"You think me strange?" he frowned, not thinking himself any different than he always was.

Jane laughed at that but caught herself quickly, "Yeah. Just a little."

"Good strange or bad strange?"

"I'm not quite sure yet," she glanced at him to see him looking at her with a confused expression, starting to blush before the car jerked and she quickly turned back to driving, "Sorry," she offered, taking a quick look at him once more, "Who are you? Really?"

"You'll see soon enough," he stated, turning forward to look out the main window, trying to mentally prepare himself for what they might encounter. It was…as he was realizing, another trick Athena had taught him, to try to picture the worst case you could be faced with and the best, to try and guess what the enemy would do so you would be more prepared.

"You promised me answers," Jane remarked, interrupting his thoughts again.

He took a deep breath at that, feeling a tingle of irritation curling in him. It wasn't a large secret that he wasn't the greatest strategist in Asgard, Athena holding that title, but when he really did try, it was best for others to leave him to his peace. Athena could always tell when he needed silence and always gave it to him, even if he could see she wished to speak and help him along, she was silent when he needed her to be, as he tried to be the same for her (though he could admit that, at times, teasing her and annoying her were too tempting a pleasure). And there it was again, another comparison, "What you seek, it's a bridge."

"A bridge? Like an Einstein-Rosen Bridge?"

"More like a rainbow bridge."

"God, I hope you're not crazy," Jane muttered.

Thor reached out and poked a button on a small device he'd seen Jane turn off when he got into the car, a box that played music, when he saw her open her mouth to speak again. He winced at the strange metallic and screeching noises coming out of the box and poked the buttons there, breathing in relief when he found a more soothing noise, like…harps and fiddles and flutes and other soft tunes.

"YOU like classical music?" Jane nearly laughed at that.

"Is that odd?" he blinked.

"For a guy like you, yeah," she nodded.

"It reminds me of home," he said simply, listening.

Truly though…it reminded him of when Athena would play with Sif and some of the Warriors after a battle. A lyre, she said the strange instrument she'd shown him was, something her brothers had taught her to play.

~8~

Athena woke quicker than last time and looked to the side immediately, where the tube had been that had been connected to her elbow to see it still there. She let out a small growl at that and leaned over, grabbing the wire with her teeth and tugged and tugged, wincing as it was pulled from her arm, preventing them from trying to poison her again. She looked down at the manacles binding her once more, taking a closer look, before she turned to try and see around the room more, see if there was anything there that could help her. But there wasn't just the tube beside her and she wouldn't be able to reach the pole it was connected to. The room was bare except for that and the bed.

She flopped her head back onto the pillow and her eyes widened, feeling something against the back of her head.

"Praise to the fortunes," she muttered, before shifting herself down the bead, bending her arms till she could get her head even with her wrists.

She turned on the bed and grinned as she felt the small dagger in her hair was still there. It appeared the mortals thought it was merely for decoration or for a hair accessory and hadn't thought to take it from her. She pulled it from her hair and turned it in her hands, wedging it in between the manacles. She bit her lip in concentration as she worked on trying to break the manacles apart. They might be able to withstand her strength but that blade was made of the finest and strongest Asgardian steel.

Thor had actually been the one to give it to her. He'd mentioned that it was prudent for all warriors to have some sort of blade that they could hide on their person that others wouldn't think of. He'd apparently noticed how she styled her hair and felt that the small dagger would work for her. She'd worn it there ever since, had actually forgotten it was there she wore it so much.

She let out a cheer of victory as the manacle snapped open and quickly turned to work on her other wrist, promising herself that she would have to thank Thor for his gift when she found him…

She paused and looked up just as an alarm started to go off throughout the facility.

If she managed to make it through whatever was happening alive that is.

~8~

Thor stepped out of Jane's car as they came to a small hillside and saw a rather large base had been set up around the crater that Mjolnir had created when it landed on Earth. There were walls and lights and a fence, vehicles and barricades, armed soldiers, it seemed like an entire complex had been erected just to keep others away from Mjolnir, but Thor was undeterred. The corridors that were created seemed to be made of some sort of clear cloth with more solid boxes around it and one in the middle.

"That isn't a satellite crash," Jane frowned, "They would have hauled the wreckage away, not built a city around it."

Thor shrugged out of the jacket Jane had given him and handed it to her, "Take this," he told her.

"Why?" she began to ask, only for thunder to rumble above them which made her quickly put the jacket on.

That…was actually just a coincidence on his part, he was more handing it over so that she could hold onto it. When sneaking anywhere it was best to have as little extra layers as possible. Quite a few times, if he wasn't intentionally seeing an audience, he would leave his cape back when he was to go on a mission. A jacket would be cumbersome and he needed to move quickly, he had to make sure that he wouldn't have extra layers that could be grabbed and used against him.

"Stay here," he ordered, "Once I have Mjolnir, I will return what they stole from you," he glanced at her, "Deal?"

"No!" Jane nearly shouted, "Look what's down there! You can't just walk in, grab our stuff, and walk out!"

"No," he agreed, turning back to the base, "I'm going to fly out," he nodded, before hurrying down the hillside as carefully and surreptitiously as he could, heading for the crater as rain began to fall.

He made his way to the metal fence at the base of the facility and huddled down there, squinting through the gapes in the fence and looking at the people around, the corridors and trying to see the best course of action. Normally he would storm in there and take the hammer back, but there were scores of men, with weapons, and he had already proven when he'd tried to break out of the 'hospital,' as Jane called it, that his strength was weaker here than on Asgard. He could not risk being caught or surrounded by all the soldiers all at once.

He nodded, making a decision and reached out to grab the corner of the fence, seeing it wasn't set up as securely as it could be and lifted the metal to the side, slipping in and rushing in. He ducked behind a boulder as another car raced towards him, two soldiers getting out. He waited till they had passed the boulder before heading for the car, just as he reached it though, the two soldiers turned back. One of them noticed him as a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky.

They raised their weapons at him and he reacted quickly, elbowing one across the jaw till he dropped the weapon before grabbing the other man's weapon and pulling it out of his hands, butting him in the face with it to knock them out. He crouched beside one of them and began to pull off an outer jacket they were wearing, he could use it for a disguise…

And then he heard it, another voice coming from the car, the 'radio.'

"DeLancey, Jackson, report!" the voice was ordering, but he ignored it, turning to head away…when he heard another order that made him stop both in his motions and his heart.

"Secure the female subject! We've got a perimeter breach!"

He turned to look back at the radio, staring at it, praying that it wasn't true, that someone hadn't followed him.

"Secure the female subject. Secure Athena!"

"No…" he breathed as he heard that, as he realized that Athena was there too!

Without a second thought he turned and started to run towards the base, had to hurry.

He ran towards the crater, alarms going off, lights illuminating around him. He ducked behind a larger car that had more windows and steps on it as a guard moved past him. He burst out as the guard lifted his hand to call to the others and grabbed him from behind, choking him to unconsciousness. He fell to the ground quickly, dropping his weapon and Thor stared it in confusion, not quite sure what it was. He grabbed it though and took cover in the shadows when more guards began to approach, dragging the fallen man with him so they wouldn't be seen. He waited till the small group of guards passed before slipping out of the shadows.

But suddenly a large light targeted him from a short distance away, nearly blinding him, forcing him to lift his arm to block his eyes. He could just barely make out some sort of car with a light on it, a man inside it with a similar radio to the one the guard behind him had been holding. He tossed the weapon he'd taken in the air, getting a better grip, before he hurled it at the light as though it were his hammer. The light shattered, causing glass to go flying everywhere, forcing the man driving the car to pull his hands away to shield himself, allowing the car to rush off out of control past another set of guards. Thor waited, watching as the guards in that area turned and ran after the vehicle, leaving the entrance to that area unguarded.

He ran for it, slipping inside, into one of the clear corridors, and rushed down them, not sure which direction to head in but needing to keep moving. He raced up a small ramp just as two guards rounded a corner before him. He quickly knocked the first out and tackled the second, not even stopping as he ran on. More and more guards started to appear, climbing up a ladder ahead of him. He punched the closest one, sending him reeling backwards down the ladder, taking the others down with him. Thor turned and kept going, running faster and faster, knowing it would only be a matter of time before the men got their bearings and came after him. He stopped, seeing the glow of Mjolnir through the clear walls before him, in the central cube…but then he saw a pair of guards down another corridor, heading in the opposite direction, not even paying attention to the hammer…which had to mean they were heading to the only other thing that these people had in their possession that didn't belong on Earth.

Athena.

He let out a low growl at that thought, at her being held there as he had been in the hospital, surrounded by these men with weapons, and took off down the corridor, Mjolnir growing smaller behind him as he left the hammer behind.

He raced through the tunnel, a guard spotting him ahead of him and rushing for him, seeming to try and collide with him, to use his own momentum against him, but he had the upper hand and quickly threw a punch to the man's gut. He turned, seeing more guards coming and grabbed the man he'd just taken down and lifted him up, throwing him at the guards before he turned and ran off on course again. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, trying to work out where those two other guards had gone, bore seeing there were more men behind him, chasing him. He ran to a ladder and hurried down it into another corridor and ran on towards one of the less clear boxes that connected the corridors.

Athena had to be in one of them.

He nearly skid to a stop when he came across what seemed like a wall of guards. But his hands curled into fists, adrenaline pumping through him, Athena's face in his mind, and he let out a roar and barreled right through them, punching and elbowing and jabbing anyone that got into his way, pushing and shoving anyone that stood between him and her, doing whatever he had to do to keep moving. He was panting as he made his way through, only to find himself in a cross section, four ways to go, well…three if he considered the one he'd just come from. But he didn't know which one to take and he didn't have the time to waste trying to find which way to go…

And then he heard it, a grunting and masculine screaming coming from the right. He turned and bolted down it, just reaching a corner when, out of nowhere, a fist came flying at his face, dealing a painful bow across his jaw, actually sending him falling backwards, dazed. He shook his head and looked up to see a rather large guard, bigger even than HIM, standing before him, standing between him and the next corridor that he could hear the clear sounds of some sort of commotion coming from.

"You're big," Thor sized him up, before grinning at the challenge ahead of him, "Fought bigger," he told the man, before lunging at the man. They both gripped each other's forearms, struggling to get the upper hand, when momentum went against both of them as they tried to make a grab for the other and shove the other to the side, which ended up sending them both through the clear cloth of the corridor and out into the pouring rain and mud. They both rushed to their feet and Thor lunged at the brute, jumping into the air and whipping his feet before him before he kicked out, right against the man's chest, sending him flying backwards and down to the ground, hard. Thor fell down onto his back but stood quickly, turning to head back for the clear hall when the other man grabbed his ankle and yanked him back. He let out a growl and threw himself back, driving his elbow right into the man's chest, sending the man flying back one final time before Thor scrambled to his feet and rushed back to the clear corridor

He turned, hearing the commotion still going on and ran down the corridor…only to slide to a stop when he saw Athena, dressed in what, swinging what appeared to be a metal pole with some sort of contraption on the end of it at a man's head, knocking him out, before she spun the pole as though it were a staff behind her.

"Athena!?" he panted, shaking his head at her.

"Thor," she gave him a serious nod.

"What are you doing!?"

She gave him a disbelieving look, "Escaping a prison?"

He just gaped at her, at any other time he would have been thrilled that she'd escaped, that she was safe, that she was able to fight and defend herself but he had gone after her instead of Mjolnir, to save her, and there she was…escaping on her own!

"I was coming to rescue you!" he nearly yelled.

"Do I look like I need rescuing?!" she snapped at him, hearing the anger in his voice.

"I thought you might," he defended, "I came for Mjolnir and heard they had captured YOU and…"

"Mjolnir is here?" she straightened, "Thor you…"

But whatever she was going to say was cut off by a slamming noise around them. They spun around to see the doors around them sealing shut before a hissing noise sounded above them. They looked up to see a white smoke of sorts wafting in from a small grate on the ceiling, a smoke that smelled odd, smelled terrible, and had them starting to cough and gag in the room. They lifted their clothes and arms to their noses and mouths to try and block the smoke, to try and not breathe it in, but it was useless.

As they sank to their knees, coughing, the world around them starting to blur, they heard a door open again and looked up, weakly, to see someone step into the room and look down at them, a small cloth mast held over his nose and mouth.

Athena could only recognize him as Coulson for a single moment before she fell to the ground, seeing Thor go down with her as their words went black.

A/N: I really liked the idea of Thor going to rescue Athena and her being already out and in the process of rescuing herself lol :)

Some notes on reviews...

Oh Athena so would have been on a warpath if Thor hadn't distracted her lol :) But she'll definitely be proving her fighting skills later on ;) Well it depends who Athena is, whether she's the real Athena or if she's just based on her ;)

I haven't thought of doing a HTTYD story, only because I sort of liked Hiccup and Astrid :)

We still have a little more action to come about the rescue attempt, so we'll have to wait and see what Athena's reaction to the rescue will be when the shock wears off ;)

Thor was pretty capable of taking out a lot of men even without his hammer, so I think he could have probably gotten Athena out of there as she wasn't firmly affixed to the ground and unable to be moved :) But he heard them reporting that she was a sort of suspect there over the radio and knew that she was there :)

I tried to get the chapter up as soon as I could, some left over resolutions from yesterday had to be dealt with at home first :(

I actually have it up on my profile that I plan to do a Mentalist Patrick/OC story ;) I haven't seen Young Dracula so I can't really promise yes or no for that one :)


	6. Tina?

Tina?

"This is getting old," Athena muttered as she slowly came to, finding herself and Thor both tied and chained to chairs, set up in a large room where Mjolnir was buried in a boulder before them, Coulson standing in front of them with his arms crossed.

Thor ignored her for a moment, still slightly angry that she had managed to escape and that he hadn't even paused to consider that she could have easily on her own and gone after the hammer instead. He should have, he should have gone after the hammer, it would have been easier, he could have grabbed it and been more help to her. Maybe then neither of them would have gotten caught in the odd smoke that had darkened their worlds, maybe they would have escaped and been taken back to Asgard then.

"Release me," Thor demanded of Coulson.

"Us," Athena corrected.

'Yeah, about that," Coulson began, "You," he looked at Thor, "Broke into our facility, and you," he turned to Athena, "Destroyed our containment room and incapacitated seven of our men."

"They should have been better trained then," Athena's eyes narrowed, "And the ones who trained them ought to be flogged for their miserable efforts."

"That's the problem though," he crossed his arms, "It's _not_ easy to do what you two did. You made us all look like a bunch of mall cops. That's hurtful. The men you _so easily_ subdued are highly-trained professionals, and in my experience, it takes someone who's received similar training to do what you did to them," he glanced between them, "Would you like to tell me where you received your training?" they just glared up at him, "Pakistan? Chechnya? Afghanistan? Then again, you strike me more as the soldier of fortune types. What was it, South Africa?" he leaned in when they still remained quiet, "Certain groups pay well for good mercenaries. Especially HYDRA."

"Why would a many-headed serpent require mercenaries?" Athena shook her head.

Coulson blinked, "Not…not hydra like…" he shook his head, straightening, realizing that they truly had no idea what HYDRA was, "Who _are_ you?"

"I shall answer all your questions," Thor spoke, "If you release me and return my hammer to me."

Coulson eyed him before glancing at the hammer and back, "You think YOU can lift that?" he seemed amused.

"It belongs to me," Thor answered gruffly.

Coulson turned to him, seeming to be considering him a moment before he nodded to two men behind him, "I do this…you don't attack any of us," he warned, "And be aware we have our weapons trained on you and your friend here," he gestured at Athena.

Thor nodded and Coulson gestured for the men to release Thor from his binds, "Her as well," he nodded at Athena as he rubbed his wrists.

Coulson shook his head, "We'll drop the chains, but the cuffs stay."

Athena glanced down, assuming the manacles around her wrist were 'cuffs' as the man had said, watching as the chains that were wrapped around her torso were loosened. She stood, looking over her shoulder at the hands behind her back before she turned to Coulson and jumped in the air, bending her knees up and swinging her arms around under her legs so that her hands were now before her.

"I prefer my hands before me," she stated as the man lifted an eyebrow at her, not seeming disturbed or threatened by the fact her hands were now in a more advantageous position to attack with.

Coulson just stepped to the side and indicated Thor to step up to the hammer, "Give it your best shot."

Thor frowned at that but stepped up to the hammer, placing a hand on it to pull it up…but it remained firmly in place. He frowned deeper and put his other hand on it, tugging and tugging, struggling with the hammer. His face grew red as veins popped out in his neck as he struggled.

"It won't work Thor," Athena told him quietly, making him look at her, panting, but her gaze flickered down to the side of the hammer.

Thor looked to it and spotted the ruins, realizing what had happened, that the hammer was truly taken from him, his power was gone.

"Nice try," Coulson remarked, seeming both like he expected this to happen but also disappointed as well, "Care to tell us who you are NOW?"

Athena looked sadly at Thor as he stared at the hammer, looking as though his whole world had just shattered in front of him, "Just a mortal man."

Thor looked at her, devastation in his eyes as it hit him, as it full hit him what had happened. He really…he really HAD been banished, fully and completely. This was reality. This wasn't just some little spat he was having with his father, this was REAL. He had been sent out of his home, left on Earth, his power and strength taken from him, his heritage, his legacy, his history stripped. He was…he wasn't Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard, Master of Lightning and Thunder here….right now, on Earth he was just…a man.

Coulson looked between them, seeming to realize what had gone on between them, that there was going to be a moment that was needed. Perhaps if he gave them a moment to speak, alone, he would be able to get them to talk later. If he let them think that they were trusted enough to be there alone without prying eyes, then maybe they might trust him a little more, "One way or another," he began, "We find out what we want to know. We're good at that."

He looked at them a moment longer before he turned and left the room, indicating for the guards to move with him.

"Thor…" Athena began as she stepped towards him, putting her hand on his arm, "I am so sorry…"

"He truly…" he swallowed, "I am exiled…"

"I am sorry brother," another voice spoke just as Athena opened her mouth to try and comfort him, to tell him that there was a hope of return, for why else would SHE have been sent there too, to guide him, if not so that he might one day return?

They turned to see Loki was standing there, though the people they could see through the clear walls seemed unable to see him, "Loki?" Thor breathed, feeling relieved to see his brother.

"What are you doing here?" Athena, however, frowned. If he was here then it meant that, in terms of what Odin had told her, he was one of the three allowed to use the Bifrost. It made sense though, Odin would be the first, she and Loki the second if for no other reason than that she would never disobey the orders of the king of Asgard, nor would Loki as the self-proclaimed dutiful son.

"I had to see you," Loki looked at Thor, ignoring Athena for the moment.

"What's happened?" Thor tensed, hearing a note of sorrow in Loki's voice, "Tell me! Is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to Father…"

"Father is dead," Loki cut in.

"What?!" Athena shook her head, "He was alive only a day ago!"

"Loki?" Thor shook his head, not sure what to believe.

"Your banishment, the threat of a new war, it was too much for him to bear," Loki told them both grimly, his gaze on Thor though as he watched the man fall further into his despair at realizing this was his fault, "You mustn't blame yourself. I know that you loved him. I tried to tell him so, but he wouldn't listen," his eyes flickered to the hammer, "It was cruel to put the hammer within your reach, knowing you could never lift it," he swallowed hard, schooling his features, knowing Athena was watching him intently, suspiciously, "The burden of the throne has fallen to me now."

"It should fall to Thor," Athena frowned, "He was only exiled, he was not disinherited."

"_Can_ I come home?" Thor looked at Loki when the man was silent, fearing the worst.

Loki gave him a pitying look, "The truce with Jotunheim is conditional upon your exile."

"There are many ways that a truce could be brokered," Athena argued.

"The Jotuns would not trust a truce with Thor as he had no qualms breaking the prior one," Loki reminded them, making Thor flinch at the reminder of why he was there in the first place.

"But couldn't we find a way to..." Thor tried to reason.

"Mother has forbidden your return," Loki stated.

Athena's grip on Thor's arm tightened though he didn't seem to notice. She knew Frigga would NEVER do something like that, she had been as against the banishment as everyone else was. But Thor was too lost in his sorrow to realize that as he merely bowed his head, defeated.

"This is goodbye, brother," Loki whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," Thor looked up at him, "Loki...thank you for coming here."

Loki nodded, "Nothing could have stopped me," he tried to smile, before he looked at Athena, "You still possess your strength," he remarked, eyeing her intently, "Father did not banish you then?" he seemed disturbed to learn that, as though he'd thought she'd been banished as well.

"No," she stated.

"You may return then," he held out a hand to her.

"If you are respecting the last wishes of the king," she nearly scoffed at that but managed to keep her voice neutral, "Then so shall I. He requested I come to Thor and help guild him, and so I shall."

Loki closed his fingers into a fist and pulled back, "So be it," he nodded, glancing at the door as it opened and Coulson seemed about to enter again, "Farewell, brother."

"Goodbye," Thor breathed.

"Good-bye?" Coulson frowned, "I just got back," he looked at Thor, "It seems you have a visitor."

Thor frowned but started to step towards Coulson as the man gestured him to com, but as Athena took a step to join him, Coulson held up his hand, "ONLY you," he told Thor.

"No," Thor shook his head, seeming to gain some semblance of his strength back, "I go nowhere without Athena."

Coulson nodded, "Suit yourself."

"Thor," Athena cut in, "Go," she stepped over to him, putting her hand on his arm again, "Your father sent me to guide you, a king never refuses a meeting for allies and treaties may come of it. It also means trusting those you must leave behind when they are fully capable. Go."

He looked at her a long while, before nodding and stepping towards Coulson, "No harm comes to her," he threatened the man.

Coulson held up his hand, "Scout's honor," he agreed, before leading Thor out of the room, Athena taking a breath before she sat back down to wait. Wisdom came from patience, so she would wait…for now.

~8~

Thor stood in another room, a room that was filled with small boxes that had moving images on them and men and women sitting before them. He could see that one box had Athena in it, the woman sitting there in the room with Mjolnir, her eyes closed, seeming to be concentrating or meditating or thinking…something like that. But what was truly drawing his focus was the fact that Erik Selvig was standing before him, claiming he was some man called…

"Donald Blake?" Coulson frowned, giving the man an incredulous look.

"Doctor Donald Blake," Erik nodded.

"He said his name was Thor," Coulson pointed out.

"It's his nickname," Erik offered, "Look, he's part of our team."

"You have dangerous coworkers, Dr. Selvig."

"Troubled, not dangerous," he corrected, "He was distraught when he found out that you'd taken all of our research. It was years of his life, gone! He got depressed, started drinking, and...well, you know the rest."

"Uh huh," Coulson nodded slowly and Thor knew he didn't even have to be Athena to work out that the man didn't believe a word Erik was saying, "You mind if we take a moment to verify his identity?"

"Certainly," Erik shrugged. Coulson turned to one of the men in the room to search the name, "You can understand how a man could go off like that. I mean, a big, faceless organization like yours, coming in with their jack-booted thugs and stealing private property..." he trailed off as Coulson and a few others turned to look at him, realizing he'd been getting angrier and more bitter as he went on, "Is how he described it," he tried to save.

"That doesn't explain how he managed to tear through our security," Coulson frowned, eyeing Erik as though he were waiting for him to bring up another reason why the man had gone raging through the guards.

But Erik just shrugged again, "Steroids. He's a bit of a fitness nut."

Thor turned, watching as an image came up on the box, of HIM. He could recognize the diner he had been sitting in in the background, likely the picture that Darcy had taken of him with that odd device. There was something called the DMV on the box, his name listed as 'Dr. Donald Blake,' which confused him as that was not his name. Another box came up with 'SHIELD Security Analysis in Progress' before Coulson turned back to Erik.

"It says here he's an M.D.," the man remarked.

"He is," Erik nodded, "That is, he was. He switched careers and became a physicist. He's quite brilliant, really."

"And his wife?" he baited though it made even Thor frown at that.

"He's not married."

"Really?" Coulson nodded, "Because he seemed quite intent to get to one of our…guests."

"I think you're mistaken," Erik started to frown, not having been told about any other sort of person there that Thor was there for. Jane had only mentioned that there was the hammer and that was all he was going to retrieve, "He was here for our equipment. If you would just release him to me, I promise to keep an eye on him."

Coulson seemed to consider it a long moment, eyeing Erik intently, before he smiled, "Release Dr. Blake to Dr. Selvig here," he told one of the other men, surprising them all, but he just turned back to Erik, "Make sure he stays in town for the next few days in case we need to talk to him again."

"Thank you," Erik stepped up to shake the man's hand, before he stepped past him and up to Thor, "Donny, Donny, Donny!" he patted the man's shoulder before hugging him tightly, though Thor remained rigid and confused, "It's going to be alright, my friend. Come on, I'm taking you home."

"No," Thor stepped back as Erik tried to pull him out.

"Don, we've got to go, your um…Jane's waiting for you."

"I thought you said he doesn't have a wife?" Coulson asked, leaning on a bank of equipment, seeming more amused as the conversation went on.

"She's not…she's his um…fiancé."

"No she is not," Thor shook his head, "I am not betrothed to Jane."

"Had a little too much to drink then…" he tried to tug Thor out once more.

"I will not leave without Athena," Thor held his ground, despite being stripped of his powers, he was still more than capable and more than strong enough to resist Erik.

"Of course there's an Athena too," Erik mumbled, before glancing at Coulson to see if he'd heard him, "Um…his sister?" he offered, trying to think of a name that would fit, "Tina?"

Coulson stared Erik down for a long while, making the man shift at how clearly he didn't believe what was being said while also noting how uncomfortable Thor seemed to be at anyone claiming Athena was his sister, before he shrugged, "Release the girl too."

Thor frowned at that, watching as another man went to collect her, he knew enough to know that Coulson was letting them go for a reason, and it had little to do with believing them. But he had little time to think on that as Athena was led into the room. Erik breathed a deep sigh of relief when he saw her and Thor was sure he heard him mumble something like 'thank god she's blonde' which he supposed was meant to help with the cover that she was his sister.

Erik stepped over to her and hugged her despite her clear confusion, "Tina, haven't seen you in ages dear," he pulled back and took her hand, "Come on you two, let's go."

Thor and Athena were silent as they followed Erik out of the base, "Might I ask who you are?" Athena frowned as they reached the open air.

"Erik Selvig," he stated, "I was um…one of the ones that found Thor."

"You helped him," she stated, and he nodded, "You have my eternal thanks. You've no idea the trouble he gets into at times."

"I think I have an idea," he mumbled.

Thor nearly rolled his eyes at her words, but spotted the small book that Jane had been writing on near her equipment as they passed. He quickly reached out and grabbed it, hiding it as they went.

"Just keep him away from the bars!" Coulson shouted behind them, making them pause.

"I will!" Erik called back to him.

"Where are we going?" Thor asked.

Erik let out a deep breath and started to walk, "To get a drink," he muttered, getting into an SUV, glancing back and watching intently as Thor opened the door for Athena and held a hand to her to help her in first, noting how his hold on her hand lasted longer than necessary, before Thor got in as well and they drove off.

"They will follow us," Athena remarked, "To allow a departure so easily implies the intent to spy."

"Yeah," Erik grumbled, "I know, that's why I need that drink."

~8~

It had been a stroke of luck that there was back in the SUV of Jane's that had an extra set of clothes in them. Erik had explained it was a 'to-go' back, one that Jane kept prepared incase there was any sort of sudden astrophysical event about to happen that she had to drop what she was doing and go to get there in time for. He had assured Athena that Jane wouldn't mind her borrowing her clothes for the time being and she had disappeared into the bathroom of the bar that they had driven to to change out of the clothes forced upon her by Coulson and his men. Thor had been near furious when he had inquired where her own clothes were and why she had changed into that attire, only for her to tell him it hadn't been her choice, but that she had been unconscious during it. She was more angry that she didn't know where her armor and sword were while he was fuming that she had been undressed in such a manner without her consent and exposed like that.

Erik had tried to calm the steaming man by saying in any situation like that, usually it would be the women of the facility that would undress the unconscious women and prepare them, not the men. It hadn't helped at all, Thor found it dishonorable that they would do so in the first place. And when he found out she'd been restrained as he had…

Well, it was honestly very sweet if Erik had to pick a word to describe it. Thor had just strode up to Athena as they stood by the car and taken her hands in his, lifting them to examine her wrists for any sort of indication of harm. There had been a minor redness, but nothing too concerning, yet Thor had lifted her wrists to his lips and pressed a kiss to them, offering her his deepest apologies that he hadn't been able to protect her from that harm.

It would have been very sweet, he felt…if it weren't for what he knew of Jane's attraction and interest in Thor. The man had seemed oblivious, even a little confused or even uncomfortable with how Jane looked or spoke or acted around him. Now he could see why, the man was clearly spoken for…even if he got the sense that neither Thor nor Athena were officially together, it was clear how they interacted, how Thor refused to leave without her, how he cared for her that he felt deeply for the woman. Now that he thought about it…the first thing Thor had said when he'd woken in the desert after being hit was 'Thena,' he'd thought it was just some mumble but perhaps he'd been asking or calling for 'Athena.'

He sighed and downed the shot in his hand, this was not going to end well for Jane he could tell.

He looked over and saw Thor sitting beside him, staring at the bathroom doors, his hand absently around a mug of beer the bartender had set down, "She'll be fine," he told the man, though he knew Thor would not look away till Athena had come out. So he reached out and patted Thor on the arm, "Look, drink, relax, it's been a hell of a day," he reached out and picked up a small shot glass of whiskey and poured it into his beer, drinking it down.

Thor turned to watch him and did the same.

"Seems Darcy's a terrible intern, but a talented hacker," Erik remarked.

"Thank you for what you've done," Thor told him, earnest.

"Don't thank me. I only did it for Jane."

Thor paused to consider that statement, "Are you in love with her?"

"Of course not!" Erik seemed disgusted by that, but Thor couldn't understand why, there were many a pair he saw in Asgard that were Erik and Jane's age, was that not normal on Earth? Though judging by Erik's grimace it was not, "Jane's like a daughter to me. Her father and I taught at University together. A good man, but he never listened."

"Neither does Thor," Athena's voice spoke from beside Thor.

He turned and nearly spilled his mug when he saw her standing there. It appeared that Jane's clothes were just one size too small, which did make sense, Athena had quite a bit of muscle to her, but she was wearing the jeans pants, and a button up shirt that was a red and white plaid along with boots that seemed a little too big, ironically. Her hair was in its typical style though, which was reassuring but he found himself reaching up to her head, his hand ghosting past her cheek and ear to the stick in her hair, "You still have it."

"They didn't seem to think to search my hair for a weapon," she nodded.

He lowered his hand, "Are the clothes acceptable."

"They are uncomfortable," she said honestly, "But they shall do. Far better than some of the formal garb at home."

Thor chuckled at that, "Sit," he offered her the seat beside him, "Drink."

The bartender looked over and made his way to them, setting down the same drink for her as for Thor and Erik, Erik watching in interest as she downed the beer and took the shot.

Thor laughed and patted Erik on the back when he saw the man seemed impressed, "We are warriors Erik," he reminded the man.

"And warriors love a challenge," Athena smiled, giving Thor a pointed look. She had not been much of a drinker before meeting Thor and the others, some wine here and there, always thinking it would dull her senses and slow her mind. But Thor had actually given a rather well thought argument about tolerance and how one could only build it up if it was practiced, now she could certainly hold her liquor as a result of his methods of instruction. However she still retained her sense of dignity, never allowing herself to become too inebriated…like Volstagg…no, she did NOT want to be like Volstagg in that.

"I don't know if you're really delusional," Erik shook his head at them, starting to fear for the woman's sanity as well, "And I really don't care at this point. I just care about her."

"Who?" Athena frowned at that, stiffening beside Thor. She had met Erik, she had been told he had helped Thor, she had just assumed that the two others he'd mentioned were men as well…which was foolish of her, she now realized, it wasn't wise to assume anything.

"Jane," Erik sighed.

"Jane?" Athena looked at Thor a moment, confused and…feeling something odd in her chest, like a heaviness. It…made no sense though, Thor was around women all the time, the women in Asgard loved their prince, the warrior women trained around him every day, he was surrounded by women so…why would this Jane woman cause a reaction like this.

A tiny voice in her head whispered it was because he'd been around Jane without HER there. But that was even more foolish. Thor could be around any women he wanted as far as she was concerned, he was his own man, he wasn't her man. She wasn't interested in having a man. No. Not at all. She was just…very used to Thor's presence then, and his attention in their verbal spars and physical spars. Now that she thought about it, they did spend quite a lot of time around each other in Asgard…it was natural she'd be protective of him, especially when Odin had asked her there to guide him.

Yes, that was it, she was just concerned who this Jane woman was and if she was safe for him, if she was good influence.

"I've seen the way she looks at you," Erik told Thor.

"I mean her no harm," Thor shook his head, though even Athena could see that he wasn't entirely sure how Jane looked at him or why it was important.

"Good," Erik nodded, "If that's the case, then I'll buy you one more drink, and you'll leave town tonight."

"We should," Athena agreed, drawing Thor's attention back to her, "There is much we must discuss Thor."

He nodded and took a long drink from the next round the bartender brought, "We do," he agreed, "I had it all backwards Athena. I had it all wrong."

"I felt like that too once," she remarked, "Before I joined your warriors, I thought I understood my place in life but…it was not what I thought nor what I wanted."

"It's not a bad thing, finding out that you don't have all the answers," Erik offered them, "That's when you start asking the right questions."

"You are a very wise man Erik," Athena smiled at him, "I would love to converse with you more when you've had less to drink."

Erik just held up his next mug in toast and drank more.

"What did you do?" Thor turned to Athena, "When you realized that? For the first time in my life, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

"I made my own way," she told him, "I did what I felt in my heart was right and what I needed to do," she put her hand on his arm, "Thor you may be confused now, you may not know what your heart wishes to say, you have experienced heavy losses recently, it would cloud anyone's head. Take time, heal, and see what is around you. When you realize where you are, you can think on where you wish to go."

He started to nod at that when he heard someone call out, "Hey, I know you, man..." and one of the men, the drunk, from the diner stumbled over, "You were in the diner with that hot girl," he started to slur, "And look at you now," he started to grin at Athena, "With another hotter girl," Athena looked unamused at that, "What's a babe like you doing with a hick like this?" he jerked a thumb at Thor.

"I have no quarrel with you," Thor tried to interrupt, "But she's a lady. You should be more respectful."

He would be the first to admit his manners were sometimes vulgar to others, disrespectful to some, but he always treated the women with a level of respect. Especially the ones that could tear him apart from nose to naval with their swords. But beyond that, women were just as powerful, important, and strong as men, his mother had taught him that, and for this man to be speaking so to Athena…it made his hands clench in fury.

"And you should shut the hell up, princess," the man nearly spat, though he stumbled. He stepped forward, moving between Thor and Athena, his back to Thor as he faced her, slamming his hand on the bar, as he grinned lecherously at her.

"Do not fight him Thor…" Athena began.

"I was not," he stated.

"Yeah," the man snorted, "Cos you know I'll kick his ass."

"No," Athena shook her head, "Because I would love to kick yours," she glared, pulling her hair dagger out and turning, stabbing it into the bar, right between the man's fingers that were closed on the bar, narrowly missing actually stabbing him, "Now, run along like the little hound you are."

The man looked like he was about to keel over before he turned tail and ran off, making the men laugh as Athena gave a mocking head-bow to them.

"I think a good spar would help me clear my head," he told her.

"I look forward to it," she nodded, "Perhaps I'll have a fighting chance now," he let out a deep laugh, she was a vicious warrior with a blade, but he could always conquer in wrestling, using his size against her.

"Another drink?" Erik grinned, calling up another round as Thor and Athena shared a smile.

A/N: I'm really excited for the next chapter, it's where we'll start to get the actual Thor/Athena going ;)

Some notes on reviews...

That's ok :) The Thor here is really just following the movie with an OC's thoughts on how he acts at times, so anything Thor does that's boorish or pompous was from the movie and how he was portrayed there. I'm not sure which canon you mean though, if you mean the comics, I've never read them and as this is the movie section of the fanfiction site, the story's based on the movies exclusively. As for his virtues, I know he has them, I felt (if patience could be given) that the audience doesn't really see them come out till after he's realized he can't lift Mjolnir, because Thor hasn't had to express them or realized he had them till then. We would be seeing his virtues come out as the OC sees him becoming less arrogant ;) I am unaware that Thor gets punished harshly by Odin given this is based on the Thor movie but as for the 'always forgives him' line that appears to display a Loki-fan-bias in me...that is an _actual line_ from the movie...so that would make the writers Loki-fans :/ As for Athena, she doesn't always beat Thor, she beat him first because he underestimated her and she used her brains (as Loki does) to realize a repetitive nature in his attacks to counter optimally in. If you have any suggestions on how to improve her, I am always open to them, I can say though that we're going to be seeing some of her flaws coming up more in the next story (as this was really to build the relationship between Thor/Athena and show Thor's change to a true 'superhero') :) As for being a Loki fan, I like him and Thor equally...but this is very much a Thor-fan story, as I've already done the whole Loki/OC fic, it was Thor's turn now ;) But still, I'll never fault a reader who doesn't like a story and wishes to stop, I hope you find better stories out there to enjoy :)

We'll have to wait and see who Athena is ;)

I mostly mean for Athena's intelligence compared to Jane to be how all Asgardians see humans as sort of 'inferior' (even though they're really not) ;) But we'll have to wait and see which Athena it is, is it just a warrior, is it the one from myth, is it the one from the comics? I love Darcy too, but it's mostly following Thor and Athena's POV so if Darcy's not there when they are we miss her a bit :(

I haven't read Divergent so I can't promise a Four/OC story for it just yet, but there's always hope for the future :)

Coulson's definitely smart enough to take extra precautions about Thor and Athena and tying them up now ;)


	7. Understandings

Understandings

"Oh Thor be careful!" Athena laughed as she followed him down the streets of whatever odd village they were in. Thor appeared to know the way to get back to some sort of shelter, but he was stumbling just ever so slightly. It wouldn't be noticeable to anyone who hadn't seen Thor completely drunk before, but she could tell there was a just a little stumble in his walk.

But then again, that could be because he currently had Erik draped over his shoulder. The poor man had truly been a nervous wreck before and had drunk himself under the table, or at least that was what the bartender had said when he'd asked if Erik had a way home or if he could call a cab…whatever a cab was. Thor had waved the man off and said that they would see him home safely.

They'd spent about a quarter of an hour standing before the man's SUV (a car, Thor had told her it was called) trying to work out how to make it go before they realized that even if they could make it go, neither of them was properly trained to utilize such a mechanism. And then they had spent another quarter of an hour with her head buried under the metal flap that opened in the front to try and work out what made it go. But without proper tools and items to pry it open, there was little she could actually do. Which was disappointing.

"I am fine Athena," Thor grinned at her, "We are nearly there," he pointed ahead and she followed his finger to see that there was what looked like a long metal box on wheels with windows sitting in the distance.

He led her up to the door of the box and knocked on it, waiting for it to open and reveal Jane was there, "Erik!" she cried, spotting the man slung up over his shoulder, Thor's large frame blocking view of Athena for the moment, "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Thor chuckled, "Not injured at all," he stepped into the room as Jane backed away…only to bang Erik's head on the doorway, making him groan, "Sorry, my friend."

"Yes," Athena scoffed lightly, "You're being careful," she moved into the trailer and held Erik's head as Thor moved around, keeping the man from being knocked into other things along the way.

"What happened?" Jane asked, before seeming to realize that there was another person there, "Who are you?"

"Athena," Athena smiled, "And you are…Darcy?" she guessed, recalling what Erik had told her about the two women he worked with in the bar, the woman seemed quite frantic before her and Erik had mentioned that Darcy was very frantic when they had first come upon Thor.

"Jane," she corrected, "Sorry, Athena?" she blinked, recognizing that name too, "There's an Athena too?" she turned to Thor.

"Yes," he nodded, "One of the finest Warriors in Asgard."

"I thought Athena was from Olympus?" Jane frowned.

"I trained in Asgard," Athena put her mind to rest, "Lady Sif and I are two of the two of the top female warriors."

"Right…" Jane nodded slowly, "Did um, did you three get in a fight or something?" she gestured at Erik.

"We drank," Thor shook his head, "We fought. He made his ancestors proud."

"Where would be the best place to put him?" Athena asked, "Hanging upside down will not be good for him come morning."

"Put him on the bed," Jane rushed over to pull the covers up on her bed and take some books off of them so that Thor had a place to put him. He flopped Erik onto the bed as though he were a sack of meat, jostling him awake for a moment even as Athena moved a pillow behind his head just as Thor dropped him.

"I still don't believe you're the God of Thunder," he told the man, "But you ought to be," he started to laugh before pointing at Athena, "And you…you could be the Goddess of Wisdom and War, but your hair's all wrong?"

Athena blinked at that in amusement and pulled a lock of her blonde hair over her shoulder to examine, "Is it?"

Erik seemed to try and nod but winced and pressed a hand to his head, "Should be brown…" he slurred, before he drifted off again.

Thor shook his head at that and pulled a blanket up over him, Jane watching him intently, seemingly stunned and impressed with the tenderness he was showing Erik. Athena though just crossed her arms and smiled, used to it. There were times when they'd be on a quest, him, the Warriors Three, Sif and her, and they'd fall asleep by the fire. He'd always tug up the blankets of anyone who shifted in their sleep to make sure they were covered and warm. It was a small gesture, but she knew it meant he genuinely cared about the ones he considered comrades and friends.

She turned away to glance at the room, curious to who this Jane woman was and eyed the different objects lying around rather haphazardly, "Are these your sleeping quarters?"

"Well…" Jane jumped forward to try and clean up the horrendous mess, the pizza boxes lying everywhere and the books and notes and pictures, "It's more of a temporary living space, really. I don't usually have visitors in here. Actually, never..." she started to spin around, trying to find the sock that matched the one in her hand.

Athena held out a similar sock to her, Jane snatching it away from her with a grateful smile.

"Can we go outside?" Thor asked.

Jane cast him a curious glance.

"He's not comfortable in women's quarters," Athena offered.

"It isn't proper," Thor defended, "For any man to occupy the bedchambers of a woman he is not wed to."

Athena smiled sadly at that, someone should have told her father that. He tried, she knew he did, to keep his affections directed at his wife. She liked to think that, had her mother lived, he would have never had the wandering eye that he developed later in life. But she had and he did, and it was one reason she always tried to be kind to his second wife, and especially to her children, but she knew that her father had a special place in his heart for her because she was the only child his first wife had given him.

~8~

Jane led the two onto the roof of her trailer as she called it, a telescope set up on top of it with a few chairs and some blankets as well. It seemed obvious to the two that Jane spent enough time up there to know what she would need for the duration of the night.

"I come up here sometimes when I can't sleep," Jane offered, seeing their expressions, "Or when I'm trying to reconcile particle data. Or when Darcy's driving me crazy," she paused to consider her words, "I come up here a lot, now that I think about it," she looked up at the stars, leading the others to look up as well, "I'm glad you're safe," she told Thor, a small smile on her face.

"You've been very kind," Thor gave her a nod in return, "I've been far less grateful than you deserve."

Athena raised her eyebrow at that.

"I also hit you with my car a couple times, so it kind of evens out," Jane joked.

"How hard did you hit him?" Athena laughed, "I can't recall him saying something like that in…a very long time."

"Thanks," Thor nudged her, rolling his eyes at her words. But he knew it was the truth, he took…quite a lot for granted, he realized that now, he expressed his gratitude in ways he honestly wasn't sure others even realized were meant to be grateful.

He had broken Isabela's coffee mug because he thought it was delicious, smashing cups was how he showed his favor for a beverage. But the look on Isabela's face had been insulted and angry that he'd done so. He understood now how some of his actions could seem to others.

"That does remind me," Athena turned to Jane, "I must thank you Jane."

"For what?" Jane shook her head.

"For helping Thor," she smiled, "I was…sent to watch over him, but I was detained near instantly."

"It was no problem," Jane shrugged, before frowning as she eyed them, "Are you two…" she left the question hanging but both appeared to not know what she meant, "Are you together?"

"Yes," Thor nodded, looking at Athena, "We are often together."

"No," Jane stuttered, "I mean, are you a couple?" she blinked, seeing they were still a little lost, "Are you in a relationship?"

"According to Erik I am his sister, if that counts as a relationship," Athena offered.

"We are not siblings," Thor added quickly, for some reason the notion of claiming Athena as his sister upset him and turned his stomach, "I have but one, a brother, Loki."

"So you're not in a relationship?" Jane just wanted to clarify.

"Athena and I," Thor began as Athena opened her mouth, "Share a bond," he nodded, glancing at the blonde, "A strong bond, formed of battle and hardship, of strength and endurance, and of understanding."

Jane seemed to take that as an affirmative yes that had her turning away from Thor and trying to distract herself with wrapping a blanket around herself, while Athena just looked at Thor curiously as to why he'd say that.

Thor glanced at Jane, seeing her sit down on one of the chairs and held out her small book to her, recalling that he'd taken it, "I don't believe it!" Jane gasped, snatching it from him.

"It was all I could get back," Thor told her, "Not as much as I promised. I'm sorry."

Athena looked at him, that was another phrase she hadn't heard often, not even when Odin had been shouting at him had he apologized to his father.

"No, this is good," Jane beamed, whatever small depression had been hitting her before when she'd sat seemed to vanish at the return of her book, "Thank you. This means I don't have to start from scratch..."

Athena tilted her head as she watched Jane's expression drop, "Is there something wrong?"

Jane sighed, "SHIELD, whatever they are. They're never going to let this research see the light of day."

"You must do this," Thor shook his head, "You must finish what you've started."

"Why?"

"Because you're right," he said simply, "It's taken so many generations for your people to get to this point. You're nearly there. You just need someone to show you how close you really are," he looked over at Athena, "And one of the more brilliant women I know happens to be here with us."

Athena rolled her eyes and shook her head at that but moved over to Jane, glancing at her small book, "May I?" she held out a hand.

Jane quickly handed it over it if meant answers, and got up to move to stand beside her, watching her flip through her notes. Athena stopped on a page that seemed to be Jane's renditioning of the Bifrost, "Very good start," she praised, "If you add something like this though…" she began to draw the branches of the world to the top of the drawing, making the webbing path of the rainbow bridge.

"What is it?" Jane breathed.

"It is the path that connects the worlds," Athena began, moving to sit on one of the chairs, Jane next to her instantly as Thor moved to sit on another, watching with interest as Athena began a lesson for Jane, just content to watch them, "This world, Midgard…Earth," she amended, "Is but one of Nine Realms. All of them are linked by the paths of the rainbow bridge."

"You see it every day, without realizing," Thor called, "Images glimpsed through, what did you call it? The Hub Scope?"

"Hubble Telescope," Jane corrected.

"The this should be simple to explain," Athena smiled, "The Nine Realms…" she began, starting a lesson that would lead long into the night…

~8~

Thor climbed down the ladder to the ground a short while after Jane had fallen sleep on one of the chairs, he'd just wanted to make sure she wouldn't fall off the trailer and had been pushing the other chairs on either side of her small cot to ensure she wouldn't topple over in her sleep. Athena had climbed down moments after Jane had drifted off and he could see, even in the darkness, that she was thinking deeply. Normally he'd give her space but he could tell that this was a moment of thought where she craved someone to talk to, where she was trying to decide how to phrase something.

He stepped up beside her and blinked, seeing that her arms weren't just crossed but that she was hugging herself slightly. He slipped his jacket off and draped it over her arm, startling her out of her thoughts.

"You went after me," she stated, turning to him. He was silent, waiting for her to continue, "You went after me and not Mjolnir. Why?" she shook her head, seeming genuinely confused about that, "I have been trying to think of a logical reason why you wouldn't go after the hammer instead of me this entire night and I cannot fathom it. It could not be because you knew the hammer wouldn't release for you, you were too startled when it happened. It couldn't have been that you thought I was so weak that I would be defenseless, you've seen me nearly break a man's neck with my thighs," she continued on, missing the faint pink of his blush at her reminder of that little trick that Sif had taught her, "I truly can't rationalize what you did Thor," she turned to him, "Why me? Why me and not Mjolnir?"

"I cannot give you a rational or logical answer Athena," he began, "I don't have one."

"Then give me AN answer."

Thor paused, considering what she'd brought up. Why HAD he gone aft r her and not Mjolnir? He had been so dead set on it, from the moment the drunk man began to speak of it, he'd had nothing else in mind for the rest of the day and night other than getting his hammer back. He'd launched an attack just to get to his hammer…but the moment he'd heard that SHE had been held there, that SHE was there, it was like his thoughts had diverted, had just completely changed without his realizing. He had tried to focus on the hammer, but…when he realized that the two guards could lead him to Athena, he hadn't even looked back at Mjolnir, he'd just…gone.

He was always trying to get Athena to do that too. She was all strategies and out thinking her opponent. When Loki had introduced her to an odd board game that was based heavily on strategy the two of them would go for hours trying to best the other. She could focus so much on how to fix a problem, on how to try and stop something with minimal destruction or loss that sometimes she missed what an opponent was doing. She based everything on her mind more than her skill with a blade. He was always trying to get her to trust her instincts, to just react, to get lost in the battle and be one with the sword. She struggled to do it too. She would rather stand before an opponent and duck blows for hours trying to work out a way to attack quickly and win than to truly fight back and go for blows that might not work. It had been her downfall on more than one occasion when they would duel at times. When he'd realized (when Loki pointed out) that she was testing his training so she could find the weak points in it, he had started to adapt, he had begun to use false moves to lure her into thinking he'd keep attacking and blocking like that and, when she'd go to truly attack there, he would use a different method to take her down. He'd started to change his reactions so she never knew what was coming and he'd often best her in doing so.

But if he was going to tell her to use instinct and trust it, he should be able to explain it to her as well. He would have to be able to tell her what drove his instinct, he would have to understand it. It was his opinion that reactions were as telling as anything and how someone reacted to something showed a lot of what they were made of, of what sort of person they were inside. WHAT had made him go after her and not Mjolnir? She was right in all counts, he hadn't known the hammer wouldn't work, he had known she'd likely be able to take care of herself, so why had he just gone after her instead?

"I couldn't bear the thought of you being hurt and I not being there to help you," he answered, going with the first thing that came to his head, another form of reaction, to be as honest with her as he could and to trust what his mind was telling him.

Athena blinked and stared at him for a long moment.

"You…were worried about me?"

"Yes," he sighed, "I know it is irrational, I know you can handle yourself and I knew, in my mind, I knew that you would work out a means to escape on your own. But when I heard they had you captive, I just...reacted. It was instinct Athena, to go to you, to try and find you."

"Why?" she frowned, seeming equally as confused about that.

"I care about you Athena," he shook his head, not entirely sure why she was so surprised to know that.

Athena looked down at that, letting out a breath at that declaration. She knew he cared, he always cared, about his friends, his warriors. One time Sif had broken her leg in a spar with Fandral, the man getting distracted by a lovely girl walking past. Thor had carried her the entire way to the healing rooms, had tended to her himself, had not spoken to Fandral for weeks after till the man prostrated himself before Sif and begged forgiveness. Another time Volstagg had gotten a little too drunk during a festivity and Thor had stopped drinking so that he could be sober enough to help Volstagg when he inevitably collapsed in a drunken stupor and had remained with the man through the night to ensure that he wouldn't react badly to so much mead. She hadn't heard much about Hogun save for that the native tongue of Asgard was not his own native tongue, Thor had been one of the first to accept him and to try and help him learn their language, to be able to communicate. She'd heard about that one more than witnessed it herself, it was before she knew them. And Loki, Thor was an extremely protective older brother, anyone who dared tease the boy about his magic had been met with Thor's fist. True, it wasn't the best way to defend his brother, physical violence, but it proved how much he genuinely cared about his family.

There were stories of his caring and protective nature, but it was so masked by the way he acted at times that it was all too easy to forget that he was a good man at heart.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Sorry?" he stared at her this time, not sure if she was apologizing for him caring about her or…

"I am…too hard on you," she turned back to him, "At times," she added, both of them knowing full well that other times he did deserve a swift kick in the backside for how he acted or what he did.

"I don't fault you for it Athena," he shook his head, "You…have a way of pointing out my faults and making me aware of them. I…don't always accept them, or try to change them but…perhaps I should. Arrogance is not a trait a wise king should have. Humility is."

Athena smiled at him, reaching out to touch his arm, "I am hard on you Thor because…my father was…an arrogant, arrogant man," she admitted, "He did things out of it that…hurt many people and caused for many, many more to be hurt. It took him ages to realize what he'd become and to change but it was too late. The damage had already been done, to his friends, his family, to everyone that he cared for. And I…" she let out a breath, "You are the future king of Asgard and I didn't want the same fate to befall you," she told him, "There were so many times I felt you saw yourself as the entitled prince instead of the next king, like with Jotunheim."

He nodded, understanding that, "I broke father's truce," he mumbled, "I attacked them. I brought war to Asgard for it," he shook his head, "A king's first concern is his people, not his pride."

Athena stepped closer to him and hugged him tightly, "You will make a magnificent and strong king one day Thor," she whispered to him, pulling back to look at him but he kept his arms around her, holding her close.

"Father always says the only reason he's the ruler he is, is because of the wisdom of the queen ruling beside him," he murmured, lifting a hand to touch her cheek.

But Athena stepped back out of his hold.

"Forgive me," he cleared his throat, "I overstepped my bounds."

"No," Athena shook her head, "It's not that," she clutched the jacket closer to her, "I…it's me."

"You?" he frowned, "You've done nothing wrong."

"No, I…" she sighed, "I don't…" this was hard to say, "I don't know how to…do this," she gestured between them, "All my life I have never been interested in men and…"

"Sif…" he realized.

"Or women," she rolled her eyes at him, seeing him give her at least a sheepish wince for his assumption, "I've just…never felt anything for them," she continued, "They were…beneath me?" she tried to find a word that didn't make her seem like a vain demon but there was really no other word to describe how she was, "I thought them pointless and unappealing and like an anchor meant to weigh me down and hold me back and…"

"I think I have gathered enough, Athena," Thor cut in.

"But that's the problem," she shook her head, hating to see the hurt look on his face for her words, "I always thought that and…it was fine," she looked at him, "I could be around men and not care. I could fight them and hurt them and behead them if I had to and I wouldn't bat an eyelash at it. And then…" she struggled, "And then I…"

Thor stepped closer, "You?"

She let out a long breath, "Then I met you," she looked at him, "And…I cared," she shrugged, "And at first you were this arrogant prince but…I saw more of you. And suddenly you weren't unimportant or unappealing or something holding me back but someone pushing me forward and pushing me to be better. You looked at me like I was an equal instead of a challenge."

"You ARE a challenge," he cut in, though there was a smile on his face as he said it, "But one that grows more so every day. One I…should like to spend more time trying to meet."

She blinked at that, meet, not beat, "And you…" she nodded to herself, "Are a man worthy to be king, so long as you keep the power of it from enlarging your head."

He let out a barking laugh at that, knowing that this time there was no bite in her remark, but also knowing that it was a start of something...new between them, a new understanding. All that time he thought she was just criticizing him about every flaw she saw in him while he remained silent of the ones he saw in her...but really she was genuinely trying to prevent him making the mistakes she had seen her father make and create the harms her father had.

"Well you shall just have to stay close and keep that from happening," he challenged.

"I think I know the perfect way to start," she smirked.

"Oh?" he stepped closer, looking down into her eyes.

Athena jus grinned and, before he could blink, had hopped up and grabbed his head in a choke hold.

"So that's how you want to play!?" he growled playfully and grabbed her leg, twisting and throwing her onto her back with a huff, only for her to knock his leg out from under him so that he landed flat on her. They looked at each other, their faces close, and Thor just started to lean down to brush his lips to hers when she used her weight to twist, rolling them over and starting the wrestling match again, neither of them caring as they rolled around in the dust of the desert.

~8~

It was quite the sight that greeted Jane when she woke the next morning to the sounds of grunting and thumps. For one single moment she sat up in alarm on her small cot-chair, thinking that some other activities that should NOT be going on in her trailer were going on in her trailer, only to realize that the sounds were coming from outside. She scrambled out of the cot and looked over the side of the trailer to see Erik and Darcy standing below, Darcy with her camera phone out and watching what appeared to be a very interesting wrestling match going on.

She hurried down the ladder and over to Erik's side, "What's going on?"

"I have no idea," the man nearly groaned, rubbing his head from his hangover as he gestured ahead, the noises and the actions going on before him were not helping his headache any, "I woke up and they were like that."

"Ouch!" Darcy winced with a laugh as Athena managed to get Thor on his back, with his arm gripped in her own, through her crossed legs, him half turned on the ground in her vice grip, "Smackdown blondie!"

"Which one is blondie?" Jane frowned, watching as Thor twisted out of the hold and he and Athena literally went at it in wrestling, in a far more brutal and physical manner than she knew most humans would be able to handle, she was starting to feel pains and bruises just watching them but they were smiling. They were just getting in headlocks and arm locks and sitting on each other and twisting and she was almost wishing that they'd been doing the other activities instead of this the ways their bodies were twisting and pressed together…

"Both," Darcy grinned, cheering even when Thor managed to lock Athena to the ground, till she gave up, "Dudes they've been doing this since you got back from the bar," she told them, "I only started recording it when it was light enough."

Erik just shook his head, it was too early for this, "I need some coffee," he muttered, before turning to head for town.

"Um…breakfast?" Jane called to the duo, wincing at how Thor was sitting on Athena's back, the woman looking none too amused as she crossed her arms under her chin and seemed to be trying to kick Thor with the back of her foot.

"Ah sustenance!" Thor cheered, leaping up and moving to help Athena up as well, "Our thanks Jane."

Jane just nodded, noting how Thor didn't let go of Athena's hand even as they stood. She let out a small breath of disappointment at that, but still, she'd only known Thor a short while, and he was taken. She was a rational woman by nature, she understood that Thor was a handsome man and yes, she was attracted to him. She was attracted to his physical appearance and to the adventure he had offered her. The thought that he was from the stars and could expand her research was extra. But logically, she knew that if he chose another person, which he clearly had, then that was his right. She was a woman who rescued him and, she liked to hope, an ally or friend to them both.

"Plenty of Pisces in the Cosmos Janie," Darcy slung her arm around Jane's shoulder and walked off towards town as Jane shook her head.

~8~

Darcy, Erik, and Jane watched as Thor and Athena cooked them breakfast, a small show of gratitude according to Athena. She pretty much was only able to manage toast with olive oil on it but they were grateful. Thor seemed to have an aptitude for making eggs and scooped them over to them as well, the two of them later joining the trio at the small table for breakfast.

"Thanks," Darcy grinned, digging in.

"You're very welcome," Thor smiled, pulling out a seat for Athena to sit before he sat beside her, in between her and Darcy, Jane on the other side of Athena. They all began to eat in quiet, just enjoying each other company and the tasty meal. It had to have been well prepared if it was gone so quickly. Thor and Athena smiled at that and stood, taking the plates with them to clean up, Athena washing while he dried…only to hear a tapping on the glass doors behind them.

"Found you!" a familiar voice called and they spun around to see it was Volstagg, he and the other Warriors, with Sif, standing there, waving at them.

Athena winced as Darcy, Jane, and Erik dropped their cups, shattering them on the ground in shock at the four people in clear warrior attire.

A/N: Little bit of Thor/Athena (Thorena? Athor? Athenor? Thona? I have no idea lol) starting here :) I know there was no real kiss here, but it'll be building up ;)

I was trying to get this chapter up earlier, to make it a Father's Day surprise, but it's after midnight now (for me) and I missed it :( My father decided, instead of family day at home, we would all be helping him work on a truck (he's a mechanic) that he needed to get finished today. We literally just got home about 1 hour ago and I really just wanted to get this chapter up. I gave it the quickest edit of my life lol, so I'll be going through it tomorrow to try and see if I missed anything. Unfortunately, that means that tomorrow's chapters might be delayed as well since these were so late :(

But still, Happy (belated) Father's Day! :)

Some notes on reviews...

This story is written from an OC's POV who hasn't grown up with Thor or trained with him as long as the Warriors 3/Sif have so her first impression of him is of an arrogant prince and I know from real life first impressions are hard to break. I like to think Athena wouldn't care about him or agree to go look out for him if she didn't see his good qualities either, but she does :) One thing that I try to do is plan my stories out over a series, so the things that I know about an OC and their history with a character won't just appear in the first chapter but spread out, though that usually leaves me in a tricky spot as things tie up nicely by the end of the whole series and may not be clear or make sense in the first story :( Such as the Athena not always winning against Thor and other flaws, patience is a virtue in that case :) I apologize if you felt the original moments I added were 'douchey' I try to add more to a movie because the OC tends to need more to get in their head. I don't actually think Thor's only qualities before banishment were arrogance and pride, THIS was the chapter where Athena remarked on some of his past deeds that were noble, it had to come about in a heartfelt talk instead of just out of nowhere and I felt this was a good point for them to truly talk :) As for Loki's remark...I'm an older sibling, my younger siblings get away with everything, I DO actually tell them not to get too worried when they fight with my parents because they always end up forgiven while our parents hang every mistake over my head for years after. (Literally, I made a small dent in the spoiler of my car accidently backing into a snowbank...never let me forget it, my brother totals his car slamming into a telephone pole, never ever mentioned and he got a new car.) So I interpreted Loki's remark as a jealous younger brother that sees his brother as the 'golden child' that his parents adore despite his obvious flaws. So no, I didn't quite take Loki's remark at face value but more from a personal understanding. I tried to describe in the actual chapter (from Loki's thoughts) how Athena was able to best Thor as Loki saw her studying and testing Thor's moves in a defensive way to gauge his reactions before actually attacking, but I didn't exactly say she always beat Sif in physical combat, the only thing she's always beaten her in at that point was hiding more weapons on her person lol. I actually do have a reason for Athena to be a dominant warrior and as perceptive as she is (that has nothing to do with what I know of the movie), but we won't find out till The Dark World (as mentioned, I like to plan things out and tie things in and foreshadow). Your suggestions to improve her by having her not be a Mary Sue don't really offer suggestions on HOW to improve her though :/ She doesn't have a low opinion of Thor, one of her faults is that when she's frustrated she lets out the lesser thoughts about people (something which would be addressed in the Avengers story to follow), as this chapter proved, she has a very high opinion of him, she just thought he needed a lesson in humility to truly be able to express it to others :) I genuinely do think that some of the mannerisms and quirks Thor displayed to Jane/Erik/Darcy could be interpreted as arrogance and disrespect (from their POV), as I can tell Isabela was likely very offended by him smashing her cup, and that if he'd been more humble, his true respect for them would have come through more :) But I do have to say thank you! I'm so glad you think she's a know it all, that's intentional and part of the foreshadowing ;) That's also one of her flaws, much like with Hermione in HP, so the fact that you find that irritating makes my day ;) As for feeling my last reply was flippant, I'm sorry if you feel that way. I've written so much fanfiction and had the full spectrum of thoughts on OCs that I really don't blame anyone for not liking an OC or how I interpret a character in a movie, every one has their own opinion. I do fully believe, if you dislike the story, that others would be a better use of your reading time, and for that I'll never fault anyone who stops reading. I genuinely would rather have people read a story they enjoy than suffer through ones they don't :)

There probably won't be references to the animated series for Star Wars, nope, just the 2 movies :)

Lol, you bring up very good points about the events prior to banishment :) I'm looking forward to Athena's reaction to Erik in The Dark World too :)

We probably won't see Clint here, just because he was in the background for SHIELD, but we'll see some more of him in the Avengers ;)

Thanks, I agree, I believe Thor's views, especially with the Jotuns (ending them and saving them), shows a lot of change in him :) You make some good points :)


	8. The Destroyer

The Destroyer

"My friends!" Thor cheered, he and Athena rushing over as the Asgardians entered through the glass door.

"Sif!" Athena laughed, moving to hug the woman tightly as Sif beamed to see one of her good friends was alive and well.

"You wound me my dear," Fandral put a mocking hand on his heart in pain at how she'd walked past him to get to Sif even as Thor laughed and clapped him on the shoulder before hugging the others, "And here I thought we shared something special!"

"Oh please," Sif rolled her eyes at Fandral, "The only thing you share is your golden hair."

Athena smirked at that, "And you're not the only one that has such hair either."

Fandral just ran a hand through his hair in protest, which just made Volstagg grin and sneak up behind him to muss Fandral's hair up even more, resulting in an indignant cry and a pout as the man rushed to the nearest reflective surface to smooth his hair back down, much to the amusement of the others.

"Who are you?" Darcy shook her head at them, "Artemis, Apollo, Hades, and Dionysus?"

Athena blinked as everyone turned to her and stared.

"Darcy?" Jane shook her head, impressed that Darcy knew those names.

"What?" Darcy shrugged, "I was hyped up on caffeine all night and couldn't sleep so I started reading some stuff on Wikipedia about those two," she nodded at Athena and Thor, "You sure you're a Virgin Goddess?" she had to ask Athena, "Cause some of those wrestling moves looked a lot like…"

"Darcy!" Jane shouted, actually seeming to blush along with Athena for Darcy's words as she spun to the woman, "I'm SO sorry…"

"I…" Athena just opened and closed her mouth, "I…um…"

"Well look who's finally speechless!" Volstagg jested as he put an arm around Athena's shoulder and shook her in a slight hug, "I am impressed with you my Lady," he winked at Darcy who beamed and lifted her chin proudly.

"So all this time," Fandral remarked, "All I had to do to make you stutter and speechless in my presence was utter remarks about your chastity?" he started to grin at that as Athena blushed more.

"Volstagg," Athena muttered, "Don't let go of me."

"Why?" he gave her an odd look at that request…feeling quite like he truly wanted to let go of her from the heated glare Thor was now sending him for that request.

"If you do…Fandral will find his pretty face bloodied," she grumbled.

Volstagg considered that a moment, looking at Fandral who seemed to be only momentarily afraid of that threat, before he started to grin smugly again.

"So you admit I'm pretty then?" Fandral smirked.

Volstagg grinned evilly at that and lifted his arm off Athena with extravagance, excited for the show of Athena actually decking Fandral in the face and she very nearly did…

Had Sif not turned, irritated with his constant flirting, and punched him in the nose herself.

"My nose!" Fandral cried, cupping his face.

"My sanity," Sif rolled her eyes and turned around, reaching out a fist to Athena's and merely hitting it against Athena's own fist, a small gesture they did when one of them one-upped one of the men.

"My God," Erik shook his head, still just staring at them all, "I don't believe it..."

Volstagg laughed and turned to them, as though just realizing they were actually there…and that they hadn't actually introduced themselves properly, "Lady Sif and the Warriors Three," he gave a short head bow to that, "And of course you know Thor and Athena," he glanced up, only to see the three mortals frowning at him in confusion, "Surely you've heard tales of Hogun the Grim," he gestured to Hogun, "Fandral the…um, Dashing," he chuckled as Fandral, with a handkerchief to his nose, waved at them, "And I, Volstagg the Svelte?" Erik glanced at Volstagg's rather large stomach, "Well, perhaps I've put on a little more muscle since I was here last."

"That would have been a thousand years ago?" Jane blinked, "Northern Europe?"

"Exactly!" Volstagg pointed at her, "Those lovely herring people. They worshipped us!"

Thor just grinned at that, so pleased and relieved to see them, not even noticing their questioning looks as he tugged Athena towards him and put an arm around her waist as he looked to them, "My friends, I've never been happier to see anyone. But you should not have come."

"When we found out you and Athena were banished, how could we not?" Volstagg shook his head.

Athena frowned, "I was not banished," she told them, "The Allfather sent me here to act as a guide to Thor," she blinked, "Why did you think I was banished?"

The four warriors looked at each other, "For the same reason we must take you home," Fandral told them.

"You know I can't," Thor reminded them, "My father is dead because of me. I must remain in exile."

Athena stiffened as she saw the confusion in their glances at his words that Odin was dead, "_Is_ the Allfather dead?"

"No," Sif shook her head, turning more to Thor, knowing this news would impact him far more, "Thor... your father still lives."

"What?" Thor breathed, "But…Loki said…"

"Loki was here?" Hogun spoke this time, the fact that he did so was not lost on any of them, that he would be so reactive to the fact LOKI had been on earth.

"Yes," Athena nodded.

"But how?" Sif frowned, "Heimdal said Odin decreed that no Asgardian was to be allowed access to it."

"When Odin sent me here, he said only 3 could pass," she thought a moment, "Me, for one, he was intent to send me here. I would assume himself. I thought the third was Frigga…" but even as she said it, she doubted it was Frigga.

At first it would make sense, being Odin's wife, being the one who would have likely taken the throne up as Odin fell into the Odinsleep, she would be allowed to leave Asgard and would need access to the Bifrost. But in the back of her mind, she knew that it was not to be so. Odin would not risk Frigga going to Earth and returning Thor to them. He would have forbidden Heimdal allowing Frigga access even as his wife or the ruling Queen…so if it wasn't Frigga who could access the Bifrost…it had to be Loki.

Athena glanced at Thor a moment, realizing something else. She knew SHE had been allowed access to Earth, Odin had ordered it so, she knew it was more than that though, especially when it came to Loki. Sif's words about how no _Asgardian_ was to have access…she had to tell Thor. He needed to know.

"Thor," she reached out to touch his arm, "I must speak with you," she glanced at the others with an apologetic smile, "Privately."

The Warriors Three and Sif nodded their heads at that, understanding. Advisor to the House of Odin was an almost sacred position, when the advisor wished to speak to the ruler privately, it was to always be respected. Advisors were meant to attempt to remain as unbiased as they could be, to give a king or queen as much objective an understanding of something as possible, which could be difficult to do with a large group shouting opinions to each other about something, it was always best for an advisor to speak first with a ruler and then see what others had to say so as not to be influenced. Athena struggled a little with that, she formed opinions quickly of people and it was difficult to change her mind about a person after that. She tried though, when, of all people, Loki broached the subject of it with her once, to be more open and observational of people after she'd made an opinion of them. It was well she did, the Warriors Three and Sif were quite sure that the 'sparing' that Athena and Thor did would be much more savage and brutal than they were had both warriors not gotten to know each other better over the years training together. Now their sparring was more to truly help each other grow, to improve themselves, and entertain themselves as well. And even though Athena wasn't an official Advisor yet, it was crystal clear to all of them that Odin was training her to be just that, to be an advisor specifically for Thor and if she requested to speak with him alone, they would respect her wishes.

Thor turned to her and she could see he was about to make some remark about saying what she wished before their friends, when he closed his mouth and truly saw her expression. He remembered how she had calmed him down about Jotunheim before, when it had just been them, but he'd let Loki nudge him into a small pride in disobeying their father, in proving the man wrong. Of all the people he knew, Loki and Athena were the most gifted at getting through to others, but where Athena offered wisdom, Loki tended to cause mischief and twist words. He should have listened to her, he should have waited even a few more hours before he'd made his decision to go to Jotunheim. He was always quick to anger when he felt himself slighted, but once he calmed down he could see the errors of his ways and would often be the first to apologize as was the honorable thing to do. He saw now why his father had banished him, a king must not anger as easily as he had for an apology did not always make things right again.

He nodded, seeing the seriousness in her expression, he could always read her like a book when she was being serious. Right now there was something she wanted to tell HIM and only him.

He glanced at Jane, Erik, and Darcy, giving them a small nod before stepping to the back of the room to speak to Athena, "What is the matter?" he asked quietly.

"There is something about Loki that I should have told you before," she began softly, "I should have told you when he appeared before Mjolnir, but you were so devastated to learn about Odin, how we thought him dead, that I…I couldn't bring it up, not then."

"What is it?" he frowned, sensing something serious about her words.

She let out a breath, "When we were in Jotunheim…you recall that Volstagg's arm was gripped by a Jotun? That its touch blackened his skin with frostbite?" he nodded, "A Jotun grabbed Loki's arm."

"What?!" Thor stared, before searching his memories, unable to recall any blackness on his brother's skin that was like what Volstagg had suffered.

Athena nodded, "His skin turned blue," she told him, even quieter than before, truly not wanting the others to know, "Just like a Frost Giant's."

Thor gaped at her, "You must be mistaken…" he breathed, unable to think of what that could mean.

"I am sorry Thor," she shook her head, "I saw it myself. His arm was blue and when the Jotun let go his hand turned back to peach but it WAS blue…Thor," she swallowed hard, "I think Loki might not be an Asgardian, but a Jotun."

Thor fell silent at that, "But…he is my brother."

Athena smiled at that remark, that declaration. Thor, for how much of a fierce warrior he could be, and for how much disdain he held for Frost Giants (or any enemy of Asgard), calling them monsters among other words, when it came to those around him…he was truly accepting. He cared not for where a warrior came from but what skills they could offer. Fandral was vain, Volstagg gluttonous, Hogun stoic, Sif reckless, and her quite condescending at times and there were times she took FAR too long to work out a strategy (she was better at planning one before an attack than thinking one up in the middle of it), but Thor accepted them all for who they were and what they could offer in skills. He would never turn away a warrior, man or woman, that wished to prove themselves capable of fighting. He would train anyone in any weapon they wished, he would help those find weapons that suited them. The smaller fighters with daggers, the taller and more lean with bows, the bulky with the heavier weapons, he truly knew what he was doing in combat and he accepted all people to train, rich or poor, noble or humble, it truly mattered not to him, so it was genuinely no shock to her that he still saw Loki as his brother than as a mere Jotun.

"I am not disputing that," she offered him a small smile, "He IS your brother. Family is not comprised solely of blood," she told him sagely, "Look at the family that came to find you," she nodded to the Warriors Three and Sif who were speaking to Jane, Darcy, and Erik with wide grins on their faces, "Family comes in all manner of shapes and sizes. Half brothers and step brothers, blood brothers and brothers in arms. All I wished to say Thor, was to warn you of what I saw. If Loki was able to use the Bifrost…it may be because he is not Asgardian…"

Thor let out a breath at that, both reassured at what Athena had told him, that Loki was still his brother in everything but blood, but torn in his heart to know that Loki was a Jotun. It didn't matter to him at all where his brother came from, if he was Asgardian or Jotun or Dark Elf or any manner of other species, it mattered not to him. But it didn't stop the small doubt that crept into him about it all.

His brother had lied to him about their father being dead and was refusing to withdraw the exile. Why? Had it been to keep him from returning home? And if so…why? He had taken up the throne, that much was certain, had he lied so that he could keep it? And if he'd kept it, what had driven the Warriors Three and Sif to flee Asgard to find him? To risk their own exile for disobeying the king? There was that mention of the treaty with Jotunheim as well. If the Warriors three and Sif were there, then they were at risk of breaking it too…and he knew his men well enough to know they'd never do that if not for his goading. They had all been against going to Jotunheim in the first place, they would not risk a treaty to keep peace over him…

Unless there was none.

"What is it?" Athena asked him this time and he looked at her, "I can see the spokes turning in your head Thor, tell me," she subtly took his hand, "You tell me everything anyway."

He felt his lips quirk up at that, it was true. Their verbal sparring wasn't just arguments or debates, it was also just…talking. He found a trust in her and she in him through the years. They spoke of practically everything that bothered them about each other and about other things as well. Granted, some of the things they said about each other that they didn't care for they hardly changed, more to irritate the other, but they DID talk. He found it surprisingly easy to talk to her when there were things truly bothering him. She was always ready to listen and to try and help him work things out. There were times where he couldn't see an option or a resolution that didn't involve a duel or fight to solve, but she'd help him sort through it and find words instead to appease another. He trusted her with his secrets and while she was very guarded about her own, he knew she was slowly letting him learn more about her. The first time she'd mentioned her family, years after they'd met, years after hearing him complain and talk about his own, he'd nearly fallen off his chair that she was sharing with him. Athena never made open gestures of trust, as in she never made extravagant talks about how she trusted him enough to start speaking of one thing or another, when she reached that point, it was just another topic of conversation between them and hardly something she'd shout to everyone else. And he kept her secrets, he spoke of nothing that she told him when they were alone to anyone else unless he knew that they were aware of that topic from her own mouth as well.

"They tried to stop me," he murmured, "Like you did, from going to Jotunheim," he glanced at the warriors, "They would not come here and break a treaty to return me if there was an actual treaty in place."

She sighed, "I feared that as well. You think there is no treaty."

"Aye," he nodded, "It makes me fear what…what Loki could be doing," he looked at her, "I doubt he would do anything to bring harm to Asgard but…"

"But you wish to be there to protect her in case his mischief goes too far," she finished.

He squeezed her hand, "What do I do Athena?" he asked her opinion, "If I return, I have broken my exile and it will mean my execution. If I stay…I trust my brother, but I do not think he knows his own limits."

She felt a smirk appear at that, "Do you know your limits Thor?" she asked him gently, "I mean that not in terms of strength or character but in heart," she lifted her other hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart, "Yes, your return could mean exile. But consider what your father banished you for, he felt you unworthy to be the king, to wield Mjolnir. Should you find a way to lift the hammer once more, you shall be worthy of your place in Asgard and you shall be worthy to return."

"And how should I do that?" he shook his head, his own free hand coming to rest over her hand, "I tried to lift it before."

"The Allfather does what he does for a reason," she thought out loud, "There must be some lesson yet to learn that he wishes you to know that would allow the hammer to be yours once more. We need…only figure out what that is and you shall be allowed back. You can return to Asgard, check the state of things, help if needed, and if all is well, your return would show Odin that you understand his reasons and lessons in banishment. You can TALK."

"You think I should return though," he mused.

"I do," she nodded, "But I think you must be careful in HOW you return. To come with us to Asgard without Mjolnir, that would be breaking your exile. But to return with it means that the Allfather's spell recognizes you worth to wield it once more and worthy to return."

He let out a long breath, "Then we must work out what lesson is still to be learned."

She nodded and they turned, about to head back to the others…when there, in the distance, a storm, more like a tornado funnel, started to draw towards the ground.

"Was somebody else coming?" Darcy asked as they walked over, only for a bright flash of light to explode to the ground.

"It's the Bifrost," Athena recognized.

"Someone's coming," Sif frowned.

Athena winced as they saw a fire blaze up in the distance, an attack of some sort, "Or something," she muttered as the humans outside the room began to step onto the streets to stare at the fires, only now there was what appeared to be gunfire back at the source of the fire.

"A battle's coming," Volstagg declared, the Warrior's Three and Sif all starting to check their armor.

"Leave this town now," Thor turned to Erik, Jane, and Darcy, "Get yourself and your friends to safety."

"What about you?" Jane frowned.

"I must stay and fight," he stated, but the five others stared at him, "I'm still a warrior, and I will fight by your side."

"Thor…" Athena shook her head.

"You're but a mortal now," Volstagg frowned, "You'll get yourself killed!"

"Or one of us, trying to protect you," Fandral added, though Thor was the only one who saw his gaze flicker to Athena, realizing that she was without a weapon or armor either, but she wasn't mortal.

"The best thing you can do is get the mortals to safety and leave the battle to us," Sif stated.

Athena was quiet, looking at Thor intently, waiting to see what he'd decide. She had asked him before if he knew his own limits as well, and then she hadn't been talking about something like this. But it was important to realize what he could and couldn't handle. Thor, before all this mess, would never turn down a fight, he'd fly into the heat of it even if he was outnumbered, as he'd done in Jotunheim, having his god-like strength to him, but this Thor…he was mortal. Would HE know what his new mortal body could handle?

Thor glanced out the large glass doors to see the townspeople still just standing there, all starting to talk to each other and without a hint of an idea of what might be coming for them, "You're right," he nodded, Athena letting out a breath as Sif seemed surprised that he'd agreed, "Sif…prepare Athena," he gave the small order.

Sif glanced at her, as though just realizing that Athena had no armor or sword with which to fight and smirked as she pulled a sword out to hand to her, "Seems I've FINALLY won that," she held the sword up, "Now it is _I_ that has more weapons on her."

Athena just smirked in return, "Best 2 out of 1,057?"

Sif rolled her eyes, not entirely sure if that was the actual number of times they'd had their little wager going or if Athena was joking. Joking more likely, they hadn't known each other even 1,000 years so it couldn't be that much.

But Athena took the sword from her and a shield that Hogun offered as well, when Fandral stepped in her way of turning to face Thor, a wide grin on his face, "I believe I found something that belongs to you Lady Athena."

She raised an eyebrow at that but he merely pulled out her armor! Well, not all of her armor, but just her breastplate which, to be quite honest, was likely the most important piece of armor she could use at the moment as it would protect her heart from strikes, "Fandral I love you!" she cheered, reaching out to hug him tightly. Her breastplate was also one of the three gifts her family had given her when she'd left them, it being made by her brother as good luck. She had been devastated to realize that Coulson had taken it from her.

"Well then," Fandral hugged her back, "I shall gift you with armor more often if it gathers this reaction."

Athena rolled her eyes and stepped back, Volstagg moving to help her strap it on as she glanced at Thor...who was glaring at Fandral...who was smirking in a playfully challenging way at Thor, "Be safe," she told him.

Thor nodded, glancing at the humans behind him, "Help me clear the streets?" he asked instead of ordered, earning a nod from them, before he turned back to Athena, "I'll let none of these people die this day," she gave him a nod and moved to step out with the Warriors Three and Sif, when he reached out and grabbed her arm, "Athena…" he tugged her back, looking into her eyes, "You be safe as well," he told her quietly.

He leaned in, as though he were about to kiss her, but pressed one to her forehead instead, knowing that, given what Athena had told him about her disinterest in men or relationships before that she might be uncomfortable with any open displays of affection that would reveal the care he felt for her. He had kissed her and Sif on the forehead before, as good luck in battle, but even as he did it, he swore to himself neither he nor she would die that day and, when this battle was done and Asgard was safe, he would tell her how deeply he did care for her.

"I will," she promised, smiling up at him, her hand coming up to his wrist, squeezing it a moment before she turned and hurried off after the Warriors Three and Sif, stepping past them to lead the way as the four paused to give him knowing looks (and a wagging set of eyebrows from Fandral) before he gestured them to go.

As the Warriors Three, Sif, and Athena made their way down the streets to face what was coming, Thor turned with Jane, Erik, and Darcy to try and get the crowd of humans off the streets and out of the town. Athena glanced back as they walked down the streets to the middle of town to see Thor doing as he promised, loading the rather befuddled townspeople into cars, trying to shy others into fortified buildings, out of the way of what they all knew would be an impending battle. She looked ahead though when they heard something barking and stiffened at the sight of the opponent approaching them…

The Destroyer.

The rather large, rather cunningly built metal man that protected the Vault of Asgard.

And it was set to kill judging by the fiery red glow emanating from within the shield of its face…a thought which was proven moments later when a large blast shot out of it and struck one of the cars, setting it exploding in the air before it continued to set the line of building behind it on fire.

"Athena?" Fandral glanced at her, "Any ideas?"

Athena looked around, "In a moment I'm sure I'll have a plan…"

There were too many variables, too many risks and unknowns. That was a problem she struggled with. She was good at coming up with tactics if she had time, if she could take moments to study the opponent. She didn't have that now. The Destroyer was on a rampage, it would attack and it would move with brute force, from the small glimpses she'd seen of it in the past. That was harder to combat, especially because it was made of metal and not some sort of human that was easy to injure. She liked going into battle with a set plan, with a way to minimize losses. She could come up with an entire battle plan, guess what an enemy she'd studied would do, combat that, make it out with minimal casualties. But she needed time. She wasn't…good…at coming up with things in a single moment, she liked getting things done efficiently. There were humans hidden around, there were cars and other objects that could be used as weapons, there was too much to account for to come up with any sort of clever plan in seconds.

"I might have one…" Sif muttered, glancing at them, "Keep him distracted," she ordered before hurrying away towards a building.

Athena tuned out Fandral and Volstagg as they began to speak of their different moves they had developed over time, trying to pick which would be best to attack with, her mind racing to try and work out the best course of attack given their skills and the limited knowledge she had about the destroyer.

They spread out, trying to focus the Destroyer's attention on only them to give Thor more time. Athena glanced up, spotting Sif on the tops of the buildings, trying to make her way to them, her eye going to the 'power lines' as Jane had described them in talks of electrical storms last night. If they carried an electricity, and if it was as Jane described, then they might be able to sort of stun the Destroyer with it…

Her thoughts were cut off when Volstagg when running past her, towards Hogun and Fandral who locked arms, leaping at them and being hurled up towards the Destroyer with a cry of, "For Asgard!" before he smashed right into the Destroyer with his weapon.

She could hear Fandral cheer, as though it had worked, but she was not so quick to think that, and soon was proven right when the Destroyer grabbed Volstagg by the beard and hurled him right into Hogun and Fandral, smashing them backwards. It turned its gaze on her and sent a blast right at her, forcing her to quickly roll to the side to avoid it. She shot to her feet just as Sif jumped off of the roof closest to the Destroyer and landed on its back, stabbing a two-headed spear right into it, through its neck and down its chest. For one brief moment it looked like it had worked, the Destroyer freezing in his motions, the red glow dimming in its faceplate…before the metal began to shift, twisting around the Destroyer and reshaping so that its face was right at Sif. It let loose one more blast, Sif diving off the side of it to avoid it as the Destroyer grabbed the spear and pulled it out of itself. It let out a raging blast once more, directed at all of them, sending them all flying backwards, and then turned its gaze to Thor.

"Thor!" Athena screamed as a blast shot right for him...

A/N: I want to start by saying I am so very, _very_ sorry that there were no chapters for so long :'( The last week was just...not good for me :( It was like one bad thing after another. A fight after Father's Day with me as mediator, me making myself sick worrying about Wednesday (my 26th birthday...when I came off my father's insurance) and my fears of the fallout that that would lead to, ending up with a bruised hip via my sister and having an actual breakdown in front of my birthday cake and my parents (and being told to 'stop crying' and 'don't make a big deal about it' and 'you'll get over it'), before they finally realized something was actually and genuinely upsetting me. Then quite a few days of my parents finally realizing that everything they were laying on me (from responsibilities as the eldest child to needing a job with benefits for insurance to getting my CPA and an accounting job to how I'm 'wasting my life' with writing) was deeply getting to me and sitting down and finally_ talking_ with me about our issues and trying to resolve them. I feel so incredibly bad that I didn't update, even worse that I didn't post anything on tumblr to warn you there might not be updates, but a lot of the issues that we had to resolve involved writing in general and I literally couldn't look at the computer without starting to cry.

I really do sincerely apologize for worrying you with no updates and no note on tumblr, it was a terribly inconsiderate thing on my part and you all deserved so much better than that :( I hope you can forgive me :')

On a lighter note, I will hopefully be back to officially updating at the normal times after today if all goes well :') My parents have finally realized just how important writing (not just fanfiction, but just writing in general) is to me and...I'll be enrolling in Master's courses for an English degree, and I've applied to a few colleges as an adjunct creative writing instructor too (and even one as a Mythology/Trojan War professor)! My parents have come to terms with the fact that forcing me to endure 4 years of accounting, and then 3 more years of graduate accounting, and a job in accounting when I hate accounting (and understanding that that job made me hate my life to the point where writing was my ONLY outlet to not break down) was not the right thing to do. They've finally realized that all their complaints that I was constantly on the computer and writing came from that place of needing something good in my life after working that job and writing was it, that if I had had a job that made me happy, I wouldn't feel the need to write so obsessively. They've apologized for killing my plans to be an Archaeologist from 8 years ago and I am not expected to sit for the CPA exam, they're fully encouraging me to contact more literary agents and jobs I am interested in. I've been going crazy applying to editing/writing/publishing jobs around my county, applying to colleges for instructing positions, I'm even going to be going with my mother to the Met Museum next weekend to see if I might have what it takes to be a tour guide in the Classics, Medieval, and Egyptian sections so that I can apply there too! My mother hates museums but she's actually encouraging this :') They've even given me their blessing to try for applying to a museum science degree (my 2nd choice of a future career, being a curator at a museum)!

I really feel like I'm in a good place now which is a near 180 from feeling like my world/life was falling apart around me last week :')

Some notes on reviews...

I understand :) I tried to portray Thor the way I saw him, upon my first viewing of the movie, my first interpretation of him from the start to finish in the emotions I felt as I watched it and at those points of the movie. I genuinely do believe that the audience doesn't see much of Thor's good qualities (save perhaps him being respectful to some) until he's realized the true magnitude of the consequences of his actions when on Earth :) In terms of the movie, Odin himself banishes Thor because he believed his arrogance and stupidity was a threat to the safety of Asgard and the innocent lives that lived there :( I'm sorry if you feel it was a gross overexaggeration, but that was genuinely how I saw Thor and my thoughts on him in the first half of the movie. I did do research on a few other sites before writing this story to try and learn more about him, there were many, many sites that described him as extremely arrogant in the first half of the movie. For me, it wasn't till we saw him being humble on Earth that we really saw that he had those qualities before being banished and that they were just very overshadowed. That's an issue I try to work on through my writing though, trying to balance what I have planned for OCs with what's happening at that moment, I fail more often than succeed at that, but I keep trying :) As a point of correction though, I said the only thing she'd _always_ beaten Sif at was hiding her weapons ;) There's a moment planned for the Dark World where that very first 'tournament' is mentioned and discussed (again, one of my struggles to balance the future with the present). In my head, I can say that, I think, for anyone entering some place new where they know they will be judged, she wants to make an impression and show she's not a weakling with no training. Athena went into that tournament intent and fully focused to either win or 'die trying,' to prove herself to them that, despite not training with them, she DID have training enough and a unique method of fighting to be worthy to train with them :) I feel I should point out that there was a point in the movie where Thor said that he DID want to slay ALL the Jotuns, which would be genocide. I have to say though, that I do think a few other reviewers had just as good points and examples of Thor's 'arrogance' as you did, which is lovely because all the points made show how many different ways you can interpret his actions and attitude and character :) I think I've seen about 4 different interpretations of his pre-banishment behavior from reviews and PMs :) That's the good thing about fanfiction and movies as well, it's always up for interpretation. Some see Loki as the misunderstood villain through everything, others see him as a genuine psychopath. Some see Thor as being burdened and trying to just prove himself, others see him as an arrogant arse at first. It's all up to the interpretation of the viewer and audience and everyone has a different opinion :) I will write Thor the way I observed him to be and how I interpreted him and his actions to be at first viewing ;)

Yup, this series will go through the Avengers and Thor: The Dark World too ;)

I can say that there'll be a little more joking about Athena's 'Virgin Goddess' status after Darcy's remark here ;) We'll have to wait and find out if something like a disinterest in men was interpreted to be being a virgin goddess ;)

Sure :) The disclaimer's cool too use :)

I'll definitely be doing a Dark World and Avengers for Athena ;)

Even not knowing you, your review meant the world to me ;) And I thank you very much, I try to be as polite and together as I can. Sometimes things like the last week get to be too much for me :( But I try to keep it together :) I probably won't do a HP story though, only because I'm a Harry/Luna fan and I can't quite see an OC for other characters. I might, as a challenge, one day do a HP/Daphne Greengrass story, because we really only know her name, house, and her sister marries Draco so she's almost like an OC. But that wouldn't be for years and years :/ It was weird, I used to be Harry/Ginny since book 1...but then Book 5 came out and I was like...Luna's SO much better for him! Lol :) As for not having a favorites bar, it's mostly because I've literally read no fanfiction lol. I haven't read a Sherlock or Merlin or Supernatural, etc, story in ever, I try to not read anything in the fandom I am or plan to write in so that my ideas are as original as they can be :) I think the most I've done in reading was a chapter or two from a small handful of TL stories before I posted Proffy over 2 years ago just to see if TLs were even accepted and that was about it :/ I've read all the stories that were submitted to me for Angel's challenge and I loved them all and I wanted to favorite them, I just wasn't sure if people would think that was arrogant(? if that's the right word), that the only stories I had favorited were the ones that others wrote about my stories when, in reality, it was just that they were the only stories I'd actually read in entirety :(

And a happy (belated) birthday to Kuroshitsujilover01! I am SO sorry I missed posting this on your actual birthday :( Lol, we have the same one! ;) I hope you had a truly fantastic day though :)


	9. A Prince's Return

A Prince's Return

The blast from the Destroyer narrowly missed Thor, hitting a shop near him, the resounding explosion knocking him, Erik, and Jane back.

Thor quickly pulled himself to his feet, Erik rushing to help Jane, as Thor ran for his fallen friends. Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun were to one side, across the street, as Athena and Sif hid behind a car, Thor skidding to his knees beside the women.

"Go," Thor ordered them, "While you can!"

"But the others..." Sif shook her head.

"You can't help them now," he cut in, "Your job is to survive."

"No!" Sif hissed, "I will die a warrior's death. Stories will be told of this day…"

"There will be no stories if we all die now," Athena interrupted this time, "Someone here must live to tell the tales else no one will know them," she looked between Sif and Thor before focusing on Sif, "Go, get the others away," before she glanced at Thor, "I have a plan."

He was tempted to roll his eyes at that, that she was still trying to think of a plan instead of actually attacking. That was one thing he was constantly trying to get her to do during their battles, to just…attack. He had been trying to explain to her that there wasn't always time, like in a war, to come up with battle strategies before a battle began. There wasn't always time in a duel to test the opponent like she had him in their first duel. There would be times that a battle sprang up with no warning, there would be times when an opponent would fight to destroy with brute force instead of just fighting to improve their skill. Her time spent in coming up with plans and trying to find patterns in attacks would be the death of her.

They were two different fighting styles, him and Athena, he attacked on instinct and strength, she attacked in planning and observation. He tried to challenge her to use her instincts more than her mind, would blindfold her so she had to rely on her senses, would sometimes get Loki to use his magic to make him invisible so she couldn't see who was attacking her or the weapon till it was nearly on her. Athena was the sort that learned by trial and error though, she'd hold firm in her beliefs and her methods till they were proven lacking and then she'd adapt. Right now, instead of rolling his eyes, all he could think was that he hoped this would prove enough of an example to her that she'd start to rely on her instinct a little more in the future if it took her this long to come up with a plan while the Warriors Three and Sif had come up with their own in half the time…granted their plans hadn't quite worked.

…he also hoped her plan would work this time as well though.

He looked at her, "What is it?" he asked her, knowing her expression to be one where she truly did not want to say what was rolling about in her head.

"I should not ask it of you…"

He reached out and grabbed her shoulder gently, "Athena," he looked into her eyes, "Tell me."

Sif looked between the two, fighting off a smile that should not have been present in the middle of such a desperate battle, but…finally. That was all she could think as she saw the look in Athena and Thor's eyes as they gazed at each other. They had that look, love she knew, and they often did wear it in their gazes when the other was around, but never ever did they let the other see it.

Athena sighed, "My plan requires a few moments more," she told him, swallowing hard, "I should not ask it, but Thor…I need you to distract the Destroyer. Barely a minute, but I need the time."

She really shouldn't ask him to do it, he was mortal now, he could get hurt or worse, killed. But the Warriors Three were scattered too far away, they were injured, barely moving, struggling just to get up. Sif was wounded as well, and even if she could get out there, the fact that she had attacked the Destroyer would make it more likely to attack her upon sight. Thor was the only one there that would be able to stand and distract it, talk to it, long enough for her to get her plan in action.

He nodded, "Then you need not ask," he told her, "I shall do it regardless."

She reached up and gripped his wrist, squeezing it, "Be careful," she glanced at the Destroyer over the car, wincing as it blasted a pole of wood a few feet away, "It has attacked and expects attacking. Words might stall it long enough."

He nodded, lifting his hand to touch her cheek a moment, before he quickly got up and dashed around the car.

"What do you need me to do?" Sif forced herself to sit up more, "How can I help?"

"Help me get this off," she gestured at her breastplate, "Then get the others away."

Sif nodded and got to work while Thor straightened, standing in the middle of the road and facing the Destroyer, completely and utterly defenseless.

~8~

Thor glanced at the Warriors Three, ensuring they were alive still, before he began to approach the Destroyer slowly, "Brother!" he called, knowing that the only one who could command the Destroyer was the King of Asgard, and Loki had already stated he had taken the throne, it could only be him, "For whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am sorry," he glanced around, now past the car, able to see Athena frantically working on her shield out of the corner of his eye, "But these people have done nothing to you. They are innocents. Take my life, and know I will never return to Asgard."

He knew that Athena was going to kill him herself for that remark. He could hear her, even now, shouting at him though he couldn't make out exactly what she was saying. But this was the only thing he could think of to say that would make both the Destroyer and Loki give pause and buy her enough time. As a former-prince of Asgard, the Destroyer would hesitate only slightly to actually kill him. And his brother…if there was any shred of his brother still in him, of the brother he knew instead of the Frost Giant he was, his brother would not command the Destroyer to harm him.

That was something he knew and feared. Loki had always been different, he had known it, Loki had as well, there was always something just slightly off about him. But he cared not for that, Loki was his brother and if he wasn't quite the mold of Asgard, that was nothing to him. It was truly as Athena had said, family came in all forms, whether they were brothers by blood, they were brothers in every other way. But it was more than that, he knew how his brother thought and how he reacted to things. If Loki had found out, as Athena had, that he was a Jotun in Jotunheim, when they'd attacked, then he knew that it would come as a betrayal to him, that their father hadn't told him who and what he was.

THAT would be something that made him truly fear for his brother. Because Loki was very guarded and he knew, despite his best efforts, that Loki always felt second best to him. He regretted it now, his comment in Jotunheim, his order that Loki 'know his place' as though his place was to be his subordinate, as though his place wasn't equal to his own in being his brother. Loki did not deal with betrayal well and it all came to him now, all the harsh words HE had ever said about the Jotuns, how they were monsters, how they deserved to be destroyed, how they should fear the king of Asgard…all of it had been said after Loki had realized HE was one. He had said all that not knowing his own brother was a 'monster' as he'd called them so often growing up. They had been raised on tales of how brutish they were, how monstrous and savage, and now Loki was left to think he was just that.

For how wise and clever his brother was, for how his greatest weapon was his mind, Loki could be even worse than him in how rash he could be, and how he came to conclusions and reacted to events. To Loki, he'd see Odin not telling him the truth as a betrayal. He would see his brother's words against the Jotuns to be his thoughts on how he'd feel for Loki if he learned the truth. And he would react to that betrayal with a betrayal of his own.

He hoped to all the gods of his ancestors that Loki would not fall into that pit of darkness, that he wouldn't truly think that HE would ever hate his baby brother. But there was a fear there all the same. It was in this moment that he realized…this was also a test. If the Destroyer turned and left, then Loki was withdrawing, Loki was giving him mercy and expressing his love for his brother, his true care for Asgard and respect for life. But…if the Destroyer took him at his word and DID attack, on Loki's command, it would mean he had truly lost his brother. It would mean Loki wanted him dead and out of the way, it would mean he must fear for their father as well. For if Loki would attack HIM with the intent to kill, him, his brother, the one who had always been is greatest defender through their childhood…then there would be no qualms from the man in attacking Odin, a man he knew Loki felt favored him more than his dark-haired child.

If the Destroyer did kill him…it would mean his brother had turned traitor and Asgard was in danger.

Thor took a deep breath as he came to a stop a short distance before the Destroyer, holding his arms out in offering, waiting. The Destroyer seemed to hesitate a moment, staring at Thor what they would have guessed was contemplatively, before it turned and began to leave. Thor glanced over at Athena, seeing her looking up at him from where she was working on her shield, offering her a smile, seeing that perhaps her plan wasn't needed after all…

Only for her to scream out, "Thor!" with her eyes wide in horror.

He turned back just in time to see the Destroyer turn to him and swat out his arm right at him, sending him flying backwards quite a few feet and landing hard on the ground with a sickening crack! He wheezed out, feeling the air leave his collapsing lungs, grimacing with pain as the bones of his body broke, leaving him a crumpled heap in the middle of the street with scarcely enough strength to open his eyes against the glaring sun. He heard something thunk beside him and managed to blearily blink his eyes open, seeing Athena kneeling beside him, leaning over him, the sun illuminating her golden hair, making it shine. He could make out Sif and the Warriors gazing at him, utterly horrified he'd been struck, all of them knowing what Athena did, what he did as well, that the attack was too serious, that his fragile mortal body wouldn't last much longer. In the periphery of his vision, opposite the Warriors, he could make out Jane gasping, her hands over her mouth as Erik held her back, Darcy's face buried in Erik's shoulder to not have to look, but his gaze was pulled back to Athena.

"Thor…" she breathed, and he could see it, the overwhelming guilt in her eyes.

He knew she was likely blaming herself for this, because she had been the one to request help, though she hadn't quite gone that far and he had offered. He could see it though, the tears in her eyes too, the sorrow, the fear, and he didn't want that either. So he offered her a small smile and grunted as he reached up his hand, honestly surprised that his arm wasn't entirely broken though his elbow hurt tremendously, but if this was the last moment he had he was going to use what strength he had left to see her smile once more, just one more time.

"…thena," he murmured, recalling a time barely two days ago when he'd been lying on the ground in the desert at night and seen someone beside him. His first thought, his first hope, had been that it was Athena there with him. It hadn't been her at that point, but it was her now. He gently touched her cheek, his thumb shaking as it stroked her skin.

"Thor," she answered, reaching up a hand to touch his, pressing his palm more to her cheek. He gave her a smile and she felt herself return it though it was small and sad, but he always did that, even without trying at times, he would smile and she'd feel herself smile as well, just because he was.

He let out a content breath at the sight, before his eyes drifted closed, his head lulling to the side.

"No," Athena shook her head, lowering his hand from her face but holding it in both of hers, "You don't get to do this Thor. Please…" she swallowed, "Don't do this," she reached out to touch his face, "For once I want you to be that arrogant glory hound you were at your coronation," she whispered, "Please just…just be trying for dramatics…"

Her pleas were cut off when she heard a stomping behind her and caught sight of the Destroyer looming over her in the reflection of the shield she'd been given. She could see the red glow brightening and knew that a blast would be coming for them in mere moments. And she was not going to let it happen!

She grabbed the shield and turned with it on her arm, bracing herself right as the Destroyer let out a beam of energy right at her. She grit her teeth and closed her eyes as she turned her head to the side, using all her strength to keep the shield up and braced against the guardian. It had been her plan to buy them time, to exhaust the Destroyer's energy, to…she wasn't sure what exactly, but it was a start of a plan to try and make it vulnerable. Her breastplate, affixed to the shield, it would be stronger. Her brother had crafted it, it was his masterpiece, and it could withstand nearly any attack and protect her. If she could get it onto the shield, it would be enough to keep the Destroyer from targeting others, it would give the Warriors Three and Sif time to come up with a better plan of attack. But she'd had to get the plate attached to the shield first, to take a blast like that to the chest would knock her off her feet but like this she could brace her legs in and push against it without excessive injury to herself as well.

"Thor!" she shouted, not entirely sure why she was any longer, if he…if he had gone to Valhalla he wouldn't hear her but she had to try, "Either you get up or I drop this shield and take the blast!" she warned him, "You know I'll do it, you can't go a day without teasing or taunting or sparring with me, Valhalla would be Hel for you!" she glanced back, seeing tracks appearing in the dust at her feet as she was pushed back more and more. It wasn't even that. The Destroyer was clearly there to target Thor, if she dropped the shield and let it 'destroy' his body then it would leave and return to Asgard, it would just...take her with it, if Thor was dead there was no harm in the body burning, and, if Thor was alive, she was hoping his noble sense of protection would kick in and he'd awaken to at least roll out of the way or try to tackle her down, "You've forced my hand then…I drop it in three. One…" she glanced back at the Destroyer, "Two…" she shifted, "Three!"

But the second she dropped her shield there was a blinding bolt of lightning behind her, swirling around her, blocking her from the Destroyer's blast, actually exploding against it and sending the Destroyer flying backwards into the street.

Athena spun around, nearly feeling like she was about to both laugh and cry at the same time when she saw Thor standing there, Mjolnir in his hand, his Asgardian armor on him, the God of Thunder returned. She felt her heart beat wildly as she realized…he'd learned whatever lesson it was that Odin had wanted for him. She wasn't sure if it was how to be selfless and protect others, how to defend the innocent around him, how to try and stop a fight rather than join it, or even if…in her distant thoughts…it might be just love in general. He had faced the Destroyer and been harmed, been killed, and he'd come back to protect her and the others. THAT was what she knew Odin had wanted for his son when he banished him, to be ready to be king, to protect instead of attack.

Thor looked right at her and grinned, "Go!" he urged her, nodding his head to the side before he lifted Mjolnir over his head. Athena jumped to the side as he brought the hammer down on the ground, sending a both of lightning racing right for the Destroyer, striking it once more.

It twitched and stumbled back and Thor swung Mjolnir around him, using it to lift him into the air, to gather storm clouds around him, summoning the winds and lightning to him, pulling the debris from the battle right up into the sky with him. It lifted its head, ready to blast Thor out of the sky but Thor dove right for it, Mjolnir out in front of him, the hammer colliding right with the Destroyer's blast, pushing through it, forcing it back to the Destroyer. He slammed into the metal man, his hammer going right through the head of it, lodging in there, causing a backup of the blasting energy. Thor jumped back as the energy caused explosions to go off within the Destroyer's body, driving it to its knees. He stepped closer, smashing the Destroyer once more into a heap on the ground, watching as the energy within the head of it slowly started to dim before it disappeared. He reached down and grabbed Mjolnir, pulling it out and stepped back from the Destroyer, some of the debris falling around him as the storm ebbed away, landing right on top of the Destroyer, crushing it beneath the weight.

He looked over at Sif, at the Warriors Three huddled together, and gave them a nod, but it was Sif's wide grin and eyes locked over his shoulder that made him turn just in time to catch Athena as she launched herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. He dropped Mjolnir, his arms wrapping around her to hold her up, knowing that his armor against the clothes Jane had offered her would be uncomfortable for her but unwilling to let her go just yet.

"Don't you ever do that to me again Thor Odinson," Athena muttered in his ear.

He let out a deep laugh, "I shall endeavor to try my best," was all he could promise her, and she nodded at that, understanding that a Warrior's life was fraught with dangers and potential death, but that warmed her heart that he was going to TRY now. He was going to consider his limits, he was going to be careful and cautious and not rush into the heat of battle but think before he attacked rashly.

"Good," she sighed, loosening her hold on him as he let her back to the ground, though he kept his arms around her, "Because you know I _would_ fight my way into Valhalla to take you back."

"You would be accepted there without hesitation," he remarked, "What is Valhalla without her Valkyrie?"

She shook her head at him just as the other warriors ran over and enveloped them all in a large hug, all of them so relieved to see Thor was alive and immortal once more, that he had reclaimed Mjolnir and, they knew, that it meant his exile was at an end.

They pulled away a moment later when Athena stiffened, seeing Agent Coulson approaching from the direction the Destroyer had come from, several men with him, all looking battered and bruised and now they knew for certain who had been trying to stop the Destroyer when it first arrived.

Coulson eyed Thor and Athena a moment, before just turning to Erik as he, Jane, and Darcy slowly approached, "Donald...I don't think you've been completely honest with me."

~8~

The small group of warriors stood at the Bifrost landing that the Destroyer had come through, Jane, Erik, and Darcy with them as some of the SHIELD agents and Coulson gathered around them. Sif and Athena were off elsewhere, in a room Coulson had offered. After seeing their display of fighting the Destroyer and hearing their tale of what they really were, for there was no point in denying or lying about it any longer, Coulson had apologized to Athena for taking her armor and offered its return as well as a place to change into it once more and the return of all her weapons too. Sif had gone with her as, being a 'Virgin Goddess' as Darcy had teased, she was not about to strip down in front of all the men to change into her armor. Even being a warrior, she and Sif did have some sense of modesty to them.

Thor was not doing well with her being out of his sight and in the same facility that had held her captive only hours ago…much to Fandral's delight. He was quite enjoying teasing Thor…till he'd gotten punched in the arm by Mjolnir and sent flying a few feet away. Now Hogun was standing beside Thor, who was staring at the door Athena and Sif had disappeared into, offering a silent support that she would be fine, that Sif would not let Athena be captured again and, now that Athena knew their facility, it wouldn't hold her either. Fandral had retreated a safe distance away to Volstagg, the two men standing and talking with Darcy as Jane and Erik spoke to Coulson.

"So, how can you speak our language?" Darcy asked, Thor only vaguely paying attention to them as he tried to focus on the door, any single sound of distress and he would crash through it with Mjolnir, ready to help.

"Your language?" Volstagg laughed, "Ha! Silly girl, you're speaking ours."

Thor visibly relaxed when he saw Athena and Sif step out from the door, Athena in her brown leather armor, her breastplate on, her sword at her side, even her small dagger in her hair as it always was. He waited till she was beside him before he held Mjolnir up to the sky and shouted out, "Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"

Athena frowned when nothing happened, "He would know your exile has ended," she murmured, "He'd open the rainbow bridges to you…"

Thor nodded, "I fear the worst," he looked at her, the two of them sharing an understanding at that. The worst…meant Loki. If the man was so set to have the Destroyer kill him, then perhaps he'd done something to Heimdall as well, and if he'd gotten control of the Bifrost…they could only guess what he'd be doing with that access.

"Then we're trapped here forever," Volstagg breathed.

"Then I suppose we'd best start settling into our new lives," Fandral grinned at Athena, before spinning on his heel to Darcy, "Are all earth maidens as fair as you?" he reached out to kiss her hand.

Darcy grinned, thoroughly enjoying the attention and his charm, "No."

"Heimdall!" Athena tried to shout up, but still nothing.

Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir, "Heimdall!"

A moment later the Bifrost erupted, a tear in the sky appearing as the light shot down and struck the ground, creating the path back to Asgard, making them all grin widely.

"Sorry, my love," Fandral kissed Darcy's hand once more, "These things happen," before he turned and rushed over to the others.

Thor looked around at the warriors beside him, about ready to leave, but Athena stepped away, right in front of Coulson who was staring up at the Bifrost in awe, "I wish to say that, despite your imprisonment of me," she began, drawing his attention to her, "You have proven yourself an honorable man, Coulson."

"Know this," Thor called, stepping beside her, not entirely trusting of Coulson, but understanding that, as a warrior, he was acting upon the best interest for the people in that town, trying to contain something he didn't understand should it be a threat to others, "We fight for the same cause, the protection of this world. From this day forward, count us as your allies," he glanced over, spotting Erik, Jane, and Darcy standing there, and recalled, "If you return the items you have stolen from my friends," he gave a pointed nod at them.

"Not stolen," Coulson defended, "Borrowed," he sighed but turned to the trio of scientists, "You'll get your equipment back. You're going to need it to continue your research...which, after today's events, SHIELD would like to fully sponsor. If that's alright with you."

Jane's eyes widened and she nodded, excited at the prospect of being fully funded and getting the equipment she'd need to try and see more of the things Thor and Athena had described to her.

Thor nodded his head at the three, before looking at Athena. He felt himself smile, seeing a look in her eye, the determination to stop a threat and knew that…the things he wished to say to her, before they would return to Asgard, to a fate unknown for their realm, to a potential battle or war being waged in front of them, had to wait. Emotions, specifically what he was thinking and feeling, especially after what she'd been willing to do when the Destroyer had struck him, could be distracting. And right now, they needed to be focused, so instead he took her hand, the two of them stepping back to the others. They glanced at each other, before nodding and taking a running leap at the Bifrost, feeling themselves being stretched as the energy sucked them in and tore them through space.

~8~

The group emerged from the Bifrost entrance into the control room to see Heimdall slumped against the controls, panting, clearly having been injured, the bodies of two Frost Giants on the ground and they knew…Loki had let them into Asgard. He had, perhaps, been the one to let the first three Frost Giants in as well.

Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly and rounded on the Warriors Three, Sif, and Athena, "Get him to the healing room!" he ordered, "Leave my brother to me."

"No," Athena stepped forward and grabbed his arm, "I'm going with you," Thor opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off, "He's as skilled with words as I am, I will not have him manipulate you again. I AM going," she strode off, leaving Thor little chance to even remark that he had been ordering her as the rightful King of Asgard and not as Thor but he doubted, even if he had, that she would have listened to him, not about this.

He knew that family was a very…personal thing to her and to know that he had to face his brother about his betrayal…he was grateful, deep down, that she was coming and he wouldn't have to face his brother and his traitorous deeds alone. He truly didn't know what he would do when he came face to face with his brother, knowing what he knew now of Loki's deeds, knowing he had likely fallen into the darkness of betrayal as well and betrayed them in turn. Loki was his brother, but his actions had proven him a traitor as well.

He reached out and grabbed her arm, lifting Mjolnir above him to use the wind of the storm to sweep them quickly down the rainbow bridge, towards the palace, cutting their time in half and setting them on the ground just outside the entrance. They ran in, rushing to the first place they could think to go, Odin's bedchambers. If the Jotuns were there, then it was NOT Odin who had let them in, he had to still be in Odinsleep and that would mean that he was vulnerable.

Worse yet…they both doubted Frigga would leave his side, which meant…she was in danger as well.

A/N: Oh man! I can't believe this story will be over tomorrow! O.O

I just wanted to say though, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and support :') You all made me smile like this ^-^ when I read them :')

Some notes on reviews...

Thor will be ok yup ;)

For the Avengers, it'll depend if they think Athena is the Athena from myth ;) We'll have to wait and see what their questions/responses might be :)

Yup, my family tends to do that, tell me I'm wasting my life doing things that 'no one will appreciate anyway' :( I've told them I'm writing fanfiction and original stories but to them writing on the computer is writing on the computer and it doesn't seem to matter much what I'm writing at times :/ But they've started to realize that my fanfictions are important to me too (I actually used fanfiction as a cover letter for a creative writing position and they were encouraging me to use it, so that's a step up :)) I'm sorry if I worried you though! :)


	10. An End and a Beginning

An End and a Beginning

Athena and Thor raced around a corner, able to hear Loki speaking from within the open doors of Odin's bedchambers, another sign that something was wrong for the doors to the royal bedchambers were always closed, "…swear to you, mother, they will pay for what they've done today," Loki was saying, "I will end the Jotun threat, now and forever! And I will make you proud."

They raced into the doorway, stopping short when they caught sight of Loki, dressed in his ceremonial horns and holding Gungnir in his hand, hugging Freya. Odin appeared to be safe, lying on his bed, a soft golden glow layering him as he healed and rejuvenated himself. There were two dead Jotuns on the ground…and Laufey dead at the side of Odin's bed as well.

"Thor!" Frigga gasped, rushing to her eldest son's side, hugging him tightly, her delight evident in her voice, though Thor and Athena kept their gazes on Loki, watching him.

Loki's eyes flickered to Mjolnir and up to Thor, "Found its way back to you, did it?"

"No thanks to you," Thor frowned.

Frigga tensed and took a single step back, looking between her sons, unsure of what happened, "What?"

Athena flinched at that, she knew how much Frigga loved both her sons, despite the fact that they weren't her own. That was one thing that she admired so much about the Queen of Asgard, Frigga's unending love for the children she raised. If only some members of her own family had been as accepting there would have been far less bloodshed and fighting and she was quite sure that 'family dinners' would have been far more pleasant if they'd all gotten along in that way.

"Of course you kept that all hidden from her," Athena muttered, shaking her head at Loki, but she expected it. Of the rulers of Asgard, Loki favored Frigga more, as Thor favored Odin just a hint more than his mother. Of all the people in the realm, Frigga would be the one person Loki would never wish to disappoint.

"Why don't you tell her?" Thor glared, "How you sent the Destroyer to kill our friends? To kill Athena? To kill me?"

Loki tensed at that, at Frigga turning to him in alarm at Thor's words, "It must have been enforcing Father's last command."

"No," Athena shook her head, "Sif told me when he'd fallen into Odinsleep. It was after he'd commanded ME to go to Midgard. And why should the Destroyer choose to enforce the command NOW, days later? Unless he was commanded to do so."

"You're a talented liar, brother," Thor agreed, stepping away from his mother to face Loki, "Always have been."

Loki smiled at that, "It's good to have you back," he told Thor, before growing entirely too serious, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to destroy Jotunheim."

And then, before any of them could so much as blink, he lifted Gungnir and fired a bolt right at Athena, sending her flying through the walls and out the side of the palace, leaving her to plummet to the ground.

"Loki!" Frigga gasped, but Loki's sight was on Thor who turned and instantly took off after the woman.

He knew them both, he knew how they fought, he knew their personalities. Just as Athena had studied Thor's battle maneuvers, he had studied them both. He knew the care they had for each other, but he also knew their focus points. Had he thrown Thor through the wall, Athena wouldn't have rushed after him but stood her ground and attacked HIM instead. She would go right to battle mode, trusting that Thor would be alright now that he was immortal again. But he knew Thor, when someone he deeply cared for was in danger, his first thought was always to protect them, to ensure they were alright. He knew that if he attacked Athena, it would be distraction enough for Thor to follow her fall than to race after HIM, and that was what he needed.

He cast his mother a single regretful look before he turned and rushed out of the room, leaving Thor to race after Athena.

~8~

"Athena!" Thor shouted, landing in a crouch beside the reflecting pools of the courtyard below only moments after Athena crashed into them with an enormous splash. He ran for the edge of the pool feeling the worst but Athena popped up in the water with a sputter, though he realized she was splashing quite a bit and seemed to be struggling in the depths of the pools, just a little deeper than she was tall. He reached out and managed to grab her flailing hand, tugging her towards him and hauling her up over the side as she coughed…and he realized something, "You can't swim?"

It seemed absurd, that of all the skills she possessed, swimming was not one of them. But then again, they hadn't really spent much time swimming so he had never seen her in the waters much…if ever now that he thought about it.

"Never wanted to learn," she muttered, coughing a little more as she managed to get herself out of the pools and slump against the side of their high ledges.

"Would that not be a useful skill?" he commented, trying not to think of how that meant that she'd literally nearly drowned just then after surviving a blast from Gungnir (he would have to commend her brother for his fine craftsmanship on her breastplate when he finally met her family).

"Last time I tried to learn," she wheezed, "And every time after, my uncle tries to drown me. So no, I do not wish to be near the water."

He gave her a look that clearly displayed his disturbance at the thought that her own uncle would actually try to drown her, and it had to be _actually_ drown her for her to fear swimming and the water.

"My uncle holds a grudge," she muttered, wringing out her hair, "I beat him in a contest, he tries to drown me whenever he gets the chance."

"Your family is…"

"I'd be careful what you follow with Thor," she cut in, "If you'd forgotten, your _brother_ just tried to kill you as well and appears intent to destroy…"

Her words were cut off when a thunderous sound echoed through the air and they spotted the Bifrost being opened, "Jotunheim," Thor breathed.

Athena nodded, "We must stop him…"

He reached out and grabbed her arm as she made to rush in that direction, "You stay here," he ordered, "Athena you were just thrown through the walls and nearly drowned!" he argued when she pulled her arm away and stalked in that direction.

"And your brother just proved he's a traitor," she shouted back, "You will need my help!"

Thor would have groaned at her stubbornness, and she thought HE was more stubborn than Mjolnir. But he had little time to think on that, knowing that arguing would waste time and, truly, two against one would better their odds at stopping Loki, so he hurried to her side, grabbing her by the arm and lifting Mjolnir into the air, picking them both up on the winds of a storm as he'd done on the way to the palace. They soared into the air, flying across the Rainbow Bridge, towards Heimdall's controls where they could see the energy was roaring uncontrollably within, the Bifrost open as Heimdall had warned them not to do on their way to Jotunheim as it would mean utter destruction. They landed just outside the doorway to the control room, glancing at each other before nodding and striding in, allowing them to see that the controls weren't just open, but they were freezing from the energy building around them, forcing them to remain open.

"All these years," Loki called from where he stood beside the controls, "And no one's ever dared to use it as a weapon."

Thor rushed for the ice, Mjolnir raised to smash through it, when Loki sent a blast at him with Gungnir still in his hands, blasting him back though the bolt only hit the ice in front of him. Athena cautiously stepped back, moving to the side, her eyes flittering between Thor groaning on the ground, to Loki stepping away from the ice towards him, and the ice itself. She caught Thor's eyes and gave him a nod, making her way around Loki from behind, trying to get closer to the ice to try her hand at breaking through it while he distracted Loki.

"You can't stop it," Loki told him as Thor staggered to his feet, "The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart."

"Why have you done this?" Thor frowned.

"To do what Father never could. To destroy their kind forever. When he awakens, he'll see the wisdom of what I've done."

"That's hardly wisdom!" Athena spoke before she realized she'd done it, "Loki I tried to STOP Thor doing this! This is NOT a wise move for any king to make!"

"Then go ahead and try to stop it," he waved her off, knowing that the sword in her hand would not be enough to break through the ice, unlike Mjolnir, which was fine. He knew Thor and Athena were trying to 'distract' him so that she could hack at the ice, and that was all his plan as well for if Thor was fighting HIM then Thor couldn't use Mjolnir to truly break through the ice.

"You can't kill an entire race," Thor shouted, pulling his attention back to him.

Loki eyed his brother critically, "What is this newfound love for the Frost Giants? You, who would have killed them all with your bare hands."

"I've changed," Thor stood straighter.

"So have I," Loki's grip on Gungnir tightened before he slammed it across Thor's face, "Fight me!" he demanded, swinging it at Thor again.

But Thor caught it in his hand, lifting his hammer as though to return the attack but stopped, catching sight of Athena behind him, shaking her head as she struggled to get the ice even slightly chipped with her sword. He, instead, flew past Loki, right for the controls, trying to be quick and get some sort of large size chunk of ice off of them before Loki could react. But his brother was quicker than he anticipated and he felt himself blasted back by another bolt from Gungnir midair.

He hit the ground and rolled back to his feet, "Is the throne really worth what you've done? What you would become?"

"I never wanted the throne!" Loki snapped, "I only wanted to be your equal," Thor swallowed hard at that, his words from Jotunheim echoing back to him once more, how he'd told his brother, in a fit of anger, to know his place. Loki was right, his place should have been equal to his, "Now fight me!" Loki hissed, swinging Gungnir to the side, sending Thor flying that way.

"I will not fight you, brother!" Thor rose to his feet.

"I am not your brother," Loki glared, "I never was."

"We are not what we are Loki," Athena called, moving to Thor's side, seeing it was useless to keep focusing on the ice she couldn't break instead of stopping Loki so that Thor could work on the ice, "We are WHO we are. We are a sum of our parts, not just one. You may have been born a Jotun, but you are just as much Asgardian as I am, as Thor is, as any one of the people at the end of the bridge are. Do not do this."

"This is madness," Thor agreed.

But that was the wrong thing to say entirely as Loki just grinned, "Is it?" he started to laugh, but they could see tears starting in his eyes, "Is it?!" and the man starting to shake and they realized…it truly was madness, Loki had gone mad, "IS IT!?" he fired Gungnir at Athena, blasting her to the side as he advanced on Thor, "What happened to you on earth that turned you so soft? Don't tell me Athena finally wormed her way into your conscience," he sneered, but started to laugh when he saw Thor cast a concerned glance at Athena, who winced as she stood, her leg clearly injured from her fall, "She has, hasn't she?" he laughed harder, "All this time the Mighty Thor, whose only love was battle and bloodshed, has fallen for a woman," he shook his head, "Perhaps, when we're finished here, I'll be sure to see your woman fall."

Thor let out an angry growl and launched himself at Loki, ignoring Athena's shouts of his name. He knew very well that his brother was baiting him, but he also knew that Loki was trick and clever, as clever as Athena and he truly did fear that, if he did not end this and end it now, Loki WOULD go after her and he would beat her. She was already injured, she had already endured enough, from him, from Earth, from everything, he would not have her more gravely harmed than she was. No, he would protect her, as a true warrior did.

Athena flinched as she watched the brothers fly at each other, making hits and landing blows with their weapons and looked around, trying to think of some way to stop all this, to stop them, to stop the Bifrost, but there was nothing. The energy was building around them and she knew that, not only would Jotunheim likely be destroyed, but they would be too if they remained in that room much longer.

"If you care so much for the Jotuns, then die with them!" Loki shouted, swinging Gungnir at Thor, Thor catching it with Mjolnir, locking the two in a battle for strength.

Athena took a breath and ran at them, knowing what she had to do to get them out of that room. She lifted her sword and brought it down right in the middle of both weapons, sending them all blasting apart and onto the Rainbow Bridge, all of them rolling across it…though Loki rolled off the side of it.

Athena panted as she forced herself to sit up, hearing Loki calling for Thor's help and knowing Thor would rush to help his brother regardless of what had just happened…but then she saw it, a few feet past her…was another Loki! And judging how he too was wincing as he struggled to stand, and how Gungnir was beside him, she knew that was the real one.

"Thor no!" she shouted, pushing herself to her feet to run after him, "It's a projection!"

But her words were too late, for just as Thor turned to her, Loki magically appeared behind him and swung Gungnir at him, knocking him to the side, hurling him across the bridge, leaving him rolling to a stop just at her feet. She quickly knelt down, helping him sit up when a score of Lokis appeared around them, all projections, magical copies of him that weren't real.

"I was always more clever than you," the Lokis echoed.

"Yet still not clever enough," Thor groaned, gripping Mjolnir and swinging it down onto the bridge, his other arm going around Athena to keep her safe as the bolt of lightning he summoned struck all the Lokis till only one was sent flying backwards, the real Loki.

"Clever," Athena praised with a small smile as they got to their feet.

"Can you stop the Bifrost?" he looked at her.

"I need time," she muttered, casting a glance at Loki as the man struggled to move.

Thor nodded and moved to his dazed brother, before placing Mjolnir on his chest, knowing the hammer would hold him down as he stepped past the man with Athena, the two getting as close to the Bifrost controls as they could without getting sucked in. Athena looked down, seeing bits of stones and debris being sucked towards the energy, it was too much, too powerful. She could see the controls themselves starting to crack, the walls of the small observatory-like structure that held it beginning to crumble.

"There's no way to stop it," she shook her head, "It'll keep building and destroy Jotunheim, but it'll branch out towards Asgard as well," she looked down, pointing at the edge of the Rainbow Bridge, already they could see that it was starting to crack, the energy seeping along it.

"What do we do?" Thor breathed, at a complete loss, but so was Athena.

"Look at you," Loki's voice called to them, jeering at them, "The Mighty Thor and the Wise Athena. With all your strength and cleverness, what good does it do you now?"

They looked down at the bridge one more, Athena kneeling down and pressing her hand to the edge just connected to the Bifrost control room…there were white cracks spreading through the bridge. She gasped and looked up at Thor, the man realizing what she had at the same time. He swallowed hard and looked up at the Bifrost entrance and then her, "Step back," he told her.

She nodded, knowing what he was planning, what he was also asking her to do. No doubt, the moment Mjolnir was off him, Loki would attack, SHE would distract him now and let Thor work. She quickly stood and stepped back, as Thor lifted his hand and summoned Mjolnir to him. She watched as he lifted it to the air, summoning the lightning to the hammer and turned, walking along the bridge towards Loki who was starting to stand, moving herself between him and Thor, but far enough away from Thor and nearer to Loki to keep him as far away from Thor as she could.

She felt the first strike against the bridge reverberate up her legs without even seeing him slam Mjolnir onto it, she could hear the cracking getting louder.

"Stop!" Loki tried to run for him, "What are you doing?!"

But Athena rounded on him, sending a swift kick to his chest to knock him back, stumbling to the ground as Thor slammed another hit to the bridge.

Loki looked at Athena, "You can't be letting him do this!" he hissed at her, his eyes frantically turning to Thor s he lifted another blow, "If he destroys the Bridge, you'll never see your family again!"

Athena's jaw tensed, hiding her surprise at his words, at his knowledge, before swallowing hard, "So be it," she told him, aiming her sword at Loki to try and hold him in place.

But Loki glared at her and lashed out, swinging his leg at her, taking her by surprise and sending her toppling to the ground as he ran for Thor, grabbing Gungnir as he dashed past. Thor lifted Mjolnir one final time, drawing even more lightning to him and brought it down with a last blow, shattering the end of the Rainbow Bridge, causing an explosion of energy blasting out from it, sending both him and Loki falling back into the air as the observatory fell off the bridge and down into the abyss below.

"Thor!" Athena shouted, seeing both him and Loki falling off the side of the bridge and ran for them.

She was too late…

But someone else wasn't.

Odin Allfather appeared on the side of the bridge, awakened from his sleep, and grabbed Thor's ankle, Thor holding tight to Gungnir, Loki clutching the end of it, both brothers dangling there as their Father held them aloft. Athena scrambled to the edge, looking over the side at the two men.

Loki looked up at his father, "I could have done it father," he whispered, "I could have done it. For you. For all of us."

But Odin shook his head sadly, "No, Loki. No."

Athena closed her eyes for only a moment, recognizing that tone, disappointment, but then her eyes flew open as she heard Thor cry out "NO!" to see that Loki had let go of Gungnir and let himself fall into the abyss as well...

~8~

Athena stood at the balcony of the feast hall of the palace the next night, looking out at the dark sky. She'd been there ever since a bit before sunset, watching as the sun faded and the moon rose. There was a feast going on behind her, a celebration of sorts.

She couldn't understand that.

Well, she could, they had much to celebrate. Odin had awoken from Odinsleep, a sleep even Frigga had feared he would not. Thor, their prince, was back and his exile ended. Even the destruction of the Bifrost entrance seemed to garner cheers as, even though it meant they could not go out to other realms any longer…it meant none could come to them, especially what remained of the Jotuns. She knew those were all fine reasons to celebrate, but she felt unsettled in her heart for two large reasons.

Thor.

Loki was gone, they knew not where he was and, for all they knew, he had died in his fall. The second prince of Asgard, for they refused to tell anyone of his Jotun heritage, was dead. The Warriors Three and Sif had already spread word that it was Loki who had betrayed Asgard, had allowed the Jotuns in both times, had sent the Destroyer to kill his brother, and then tried to destroy another realm. People were celebrating his death as well. Which bothered her more than she cared to admit. She knew that it was, in part, because it would affect Thor and Frigga and even Odin deeply, the loss of their brother and son, and for them to be around people cheering and praising his demise…she doubted the others even considered that. It was also partly because…she understood how Thor and his parents felt, betrayal from family cut deeply but they were still family.

She winced as she heard Volstagg bragging about how they'd handled the Destroyer behind her, Fandral joking along and cheering that he'd gotten Hogun to smile. Sif was the only one she could hear that was expressing a sorrow for the Queen's loss as she spoke to Frigga. Frigga herself, she knew, was watching Thor sit among his comrades, quiet and solemn, but she could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head as he watched her stand there yet made no approach.

He knew that she was upset about something, t hat she was finding it difficult to be around the others, but he didn't know what was bothering her. He couldn't know either. Loki's words had gotten to her, not much, she'd been in Asgard so long that another few centuries wouldn't really matter, the Rainbow Bridge would be repaired, the Bifrost controls were already starting to be constructed again. It was just a matter of time before access to the worlds would be open. But his words had struck home and she tried her best not to think of them.

She just…didn't want to be there, really. She was never one for formal celebrations. Oh rounds and victory celebrations among warriors was one thing, but this was…formal and proper. She'd been forced to wear a white sort of dress with no sleeves and a low dip in the front, courtesy of Sif, a gold belt around her waist and a dress that flowed to the floor. Her wrist had a small bracelet on it, one that she only wore when she was required to 'dress up' as it was a memento of home and she only felt like wearing it when the opportunity was presented. She looked down at it, a small sort of charm bracelet that her family had given her when she left home, a charm for all her siblings. She would probably be wearing that bracelet more often than usual after Loki's words. Her hand went up to her neck, to a small necklace she always wore though. It was a small coin on a chain, something her father had given her especially, a sign of good luck and a connection back to them. She always wore that necklace, under her armor, under her clothes, but the neckline of her gown revealed it now.

She let out a breath, letting her hand drop to the edge of the balcony, stiffening as she heard Odin speaking behind her, to Thor as the man made his way towards her. She could hear his footsteps coming a mile away. She smiled softly though when she heard Odin tell Thor he'd be a wise king one day and it widened hearing Thor praise his father with respect, that there would never be a wiser king than Odin. She knew, whatever had happened, Thor was a different man now, loss and exile changed a person, being without family and relying on someone else made you different, and Thor accepted that. She could hear him say that he still had quite a bit to learn, but that he hoped to make his father proud. She didn't even need to hear Odin say it to know the man was already proud of him.

She glanced to the side when she saw Thor come to stand beside her in her periphery, the man silent as he had been since Loki had fallen into the darkness. So she remained quiet as well. One thing she had learned from Thor, when something deeply bothered him, it did not do well to push him but rather to wait.

"You were persistent in staying at my side," he murmured, making her turn to look at him, a silent gesture to continue, "You refused to leave me to face Loki alone," he turned to her as well, "Why?"

She sighed, "Family is…complicated," she began, picking her words carefully, "I am no stranger to betrayal among blood," she added, "In my family, we would sooner turn on each other and take different sides in a war than admit we are vain and arrogant and greedy. I have experienced betrayal from others, from friends and foe and siblings. My father had many mistresses. My brother took my other brother's wife to bed. My father killed my mother. My step-mother tried to kill my half siblings. It's…a mess of bloodshed and hatred and…and hurt," she swallowed and looked up at him, "I didn't want you to have to experience that alone Thor. I wish I'd had others with me when it happened to me and I just…wanted to offer a comfort, a knowledge that you weren't alone."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, he'd only heard bits and pieces of her family over the years together, more small stories of her siblings, but to hear her speak of it like that, with such violence…he felt almost guilty for being happy she'd come to stay with him in Asgard and train beside him, to escape that.

"It happened ages ago," she shrugged, "And while we still hold grudges, we have gotten better with time, made the choice to remove quite a bit of the source of our problems from our lives and…we're healing," she smiled.

"I am glad," he reached out and took her hand resting on top of the balcony.

"I am sorry as well," she offered, "For Loki."

"As am I," he nodded, solemn, before he looked at her, "You have always been at my side Athena," he started, "Always. Through my banishment, my return, losing Loki…even before, you have been at my side in training and advising and…I trust you."

"I trust you too."

"I care about you," he added, "More than I…more than I have any other."

She smiled at that, "I've come to care for you too Thor, more than I thought I ever could care for another."

He let out a breath at that, seeming encouraged by that, "I…am selfish."

"I think you proved yourself rather selfless recently," she reminded him, a small concerned frown on her face for his words.

"I meant…" he struggled to find the words, "I…don't want you to leave my side," he tried to speak, "I would like to have you always with me. As…more than training partners or sparring opponents or even as advisor and prince."

Athena fell silent at that, considering his words. Thor was not an emotional man, but she knew what he was saying, what he was asking of her and, while she had never in her life been interested in a man in that way…she would be lying to herself if she denied that she did feel that for Thor. She did care for him, she did…she did love him, very much. She had no idea when it had happened or even how, but…she did.

She smiled and stepped closer, "Do you remember what you asked me, before we went to Jotunheim?" she countered, seeming to throw him off slightly, "How you asked who provided me with the most challenging, dangerous, and worthwhile quest in all the realms?" he nodded at that, and she stepped closer, "While I haven't experienced a quest like that yet," she smiled wider, "I do believe that…YOU could."

"Is that so?" he started to grin, his free hand moving around her waist, tugging her closer.

She nodded, "I think, what you are proposing, would be just such a quest and…" she took a breath, "I should like to experience it with you."

Thor let out a happy breath at that, the light that was shining in the bleak darkness of losing his brother. He reached up his hand that had been on hers to touch her cheek, "I do love you, Athena," he told her, wanting it to be clear, wanting it said and known, "Very much."

She beamed at that, her own free hand coming up to rest on his large arm, "I love you as well, Thor."

He didn't even hesitate to lean in and press his lips to hers, ignoring the cheers and whistles that had erupted from the feast hall as everyone within was witness to their declaration and embrace, he couldn't bring himself to care, because he finally had Athena in his arms and knew he had her heart as much as he'd come to realize she had his.

To be continued…in…War!

A/N: I'm sorry this was delayed :( I'd hoped to be up and posting at the normal times by now, but yesterday I was made aware of another (13th now) plagiarism :( Or it might be a partial plagiarism? I'm really not sure what to define it as -sigh- But it always takes me a few hours to gather evidence, make my tumblr post, put the words and thoughts in order to describe it and then after it's all out in the open it takes me a few hours to be able to get into writing/editing again :( A general idea of what happened was that I'd been contacted in PM by someone about posting my stories in entirety on another site, I was given their word that they wouldn't touch my stories without my consent. I hadn't been able to respond instantly, and then I found out that the person, 4 days later, began to post my stories on the site they mentioned, in entirety, and without my consent :( I reported the stories, they were removed, but it just really upset me because I thought the stories would be safe even without a response because I hadn't responded with consent, and then it happened anyway :(

But...to make up for it, we'll be getting the next story for Thor, the Avengers, in just a few short hours! :)

So I just want to take a second to thank you all :') Anyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/followed/anything this story, you all mean the world to me and I love you all :')

Some notes on reviews...

Thanks :) It's mostly my parents who say that, my siblings tend not to care for the most part :/ I used to not tell people that I still watched animated cartoons when I was a senior in High School, because I thought that they'd think I was weird :( But then I ended up winning a trivial pursuit contest in class once because I learned a lot of the information from the cartoons and it was ok :) Just think, you now know more about time, space, the capacity to love, how indomitable humans are, and humanity in general than your relative does ;)

I wish I could publish a book of my own :) I'm sending out more emails and letters to literary agents to see if there's any interest so I've got my fingers crossed :) If I ever did get published I'd probably freak out and post a note about it everywhere I could think lol :) Thank you! :)


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